GLORIA ESTEFAN “Cuts Both Ways.” Epic :<i> Albums are rated on a scale of one (poor) to five (a classic)</i>

Just the idea of Latin pop music conjures up something succulent and slightly subversive--something with a bit more of an edge than pop sounds of the all-American persuasion. But Estefan--who has become one of the biggest popularizers of the genre as the front-woman of the Miami Sound Machine--writes the kind of mild, easily digestible Latin pop that could be considered hot stuff only to those who regard Ricky Ricardo as a hell raiser.

Estefan is essentially as wholesome as Anne Murray with a dollop of salsa on the side. And, while that may be a good and pleasant thing to be, it doesn’t exactly make for the most exciting music in the world. Still backed by the Miami Sound Machine, though now with solo billing, Estefan sings what sound like advertising jingles designed to sell you on the notion of a kinder, gentler salsa.

She does work up some steam on “Oye Mi Canto” (the Spanish version of the song on the cassette and CD comes across better), but it’s on “Ai, Ai, I” that she reveals her soul instincts. Estefan fares best on the title cut, a wistful ballad in which she sounds like a cross between Murray and Karen Carpenter. There’s really nothing wrong with Estefan and her warmly focused, direct music--nothing that a swerve off of that safe, middle-of-the-road course couldn’t solve.