Record Rack

*** 1/2 Joan Manuel Serrat, “Cansiones,” BMG Latin. Why did the most inspired Spanish songwriter of the last 30 years choose to record an entire album of songs by other artists? Whatever the motivation, the result is a daring experiment by the 57-year-old Serrat.

Employing the device of an alter ego named Tarres (his name spelled backward), Serrat leads a magical mystery tour through Latin America that includes eye-opening stops in Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Uruguay.

At times the choice of material is a little too eclectic (do we really need to hear Serrat doing a vallenato?), but his collaborators are top-notch. In Argentina, for instance, he hooks up with bandoneonista Rodolfo Mederos for a couple of misty-eyed tangos. And his limited vocal range and smoky charm add a layer of poignancy to the Jose Alfredo Jimenez classic “De Un Mundo Raro.”

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.