Enrique Iglesias' Euphoria Rarely Lives Up to Its Name

Artist:  Enrique Iglesias
Title:  Euphoria
Label:  Republic

Uninspired song selection plus flat delivery doesn't equal euphoria.

Listening to Enrique Iglesias' latest CD is the musical equivalent of eating at your local T.G.I. Friday's. It certainly will do in a pinch if you're starving, but if it's big flavor you're craving, it wouldn't necessarily be your first choice.

The biggest problem with an album called Euphoria is that it arrives with pretty big expectations from the get-go. Instead of under-promising and over-delivering, a classic showbiz technique that works well in terms of audience response, Enrique actually does the reverse.

And with a title that colorful, you're naturally expecting to experience something bright and vivacious when tuning in. But for whatever reason, everything here is decidedly middle of the road and lyrically shallow to boot—nothing truly offensive, but nothing all that spectacular either.

Serving up a 50/50 mix of English and Spanish-language songs, Enrique is attempting to broaden his appeal. Sadly, Euphoria probably won't win over any new fans (pop, Spanish or otherwise) because of a ho-hum track list.

Case in point: the album's sugary sweet (and not in a good way), synth-heavy first single "I Like It," the repetitive, unremarkable duet with Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger on "Heartbeat" and "Cuando Me Enamero," a blandly agreeable mid-tempo collaboration with Dominican superstar Juan Luis Guerra.

Despite having a voice that's certainly pleasing enough, the trouble with Euphoria is that it rarely lives up to its name. Not only is the song selection truly uninspired (Enrique seems to be grasping for straws, particularly on the cringe-worthy "Dirty Dancer" that features a cameo from Usher), but his equally flat delivery doesn't really help sell the lackluster material either—a misstep that longtime fans will probably forgive, but new listeners will gloss over without a second thought.


**This review first published on July 22, 2010.