José Feliciano - Señor Bolero (1998)

When you really get down to it, no one can croon a Latin love ballad quite like the enchanting Jose Feliciano. This collection of boleros new and old is no exception to this fact. With his customary nylon-string guitar in hand, Jose lets each timeless account of love unfold like so many petals of a rose in bloom. The years have clearly polished rather than withered his familiar voice, giving him the ability to lull and transport lovers of the world, be they Spanish-speaking or not, to the silky places he knows. Produced by his friend Rudy Perez, the arrangements feature delicate keyboards and string passages that lay the basis for Jose's swoonings, as well as his subtle jazz-inflected chords and graceful solos. Mostly slow in tempo, tempters like "Concavo Y Convexo" and "Somos" are testaments to the staying power of this romantic musical tradition.