POP MUSIC REVIEWS : Balladeer Sesto Sticks to Formula

Few romantic balladeers--not even Julio Iglesias or Luis Miguel--have made a career performing and writing their own material. But at his peak in the ‘70s and early ‘80s, Spain’s Camilo Sesto authored many of the genre’s best-known hits, establishing himself as a major pop idol and a world-class songwriter.

Sesto’s main limitation is that he’s been content to stick to his successful formula without seriously considering a more challenging approach. But in his 2 1/2-hour concert on Saturday at the Universal Amphitheatre, he made up with experience for what he lacked in originality.

The show was meant to promote his latest album, “Huracan de Amor” (“Hurricane of Love”), but the best moments came when he fielded requests for old favorites from the predominantly female, screaming crowd. Dispensing with the standard, old-fashioned arrangements, he sang them a cappella. Down on one knee, showing a still-impressive voice, he made this segment seem like an intimate cabaret performance instead of an auditorium concert.