POP MUSIC : ALBUM REVIEW / IN BRIEF

** “Into the Light,” Gloria Estefan, Epic. Since Estefan emerged in the mid ‘80s, each of her albums has gotten progressively weaker, as she’s slowly stripped her music of soul and passion and immersed herself in safe, lowest-common-denominator, commercial pop. She seems to aspire to be a female Phil Collins. The biggest and most surprising flaw on this album is her vocals, which undermine some pretty fair pop songs. Though she’s no Streisand, Estefan’s vocals on past albums have at least been adequate. But on many of the songs on “Into the Light,” her singing is startlingly soulless.