a salsa-flavored piano break amid the synthesized heel clicks of Latin hip-hop. Nevertheless, the Pet Shop Boys can't help sounding instantly identifiable – and essentially British above all else. Take "Domino Dancing": despite all those Latin samples, Chris Lowe's languid synth lines and Neil Tennant's wan, somewhat nasal vocals combine in a hook that uncannily recalls Al Stewart's "Year of the Cat." Nobody in his right mind would do that on purpose.

Tennant's latest batch of deadpan meditations on modern-day love and disaffection ("Left to My Own Devices," "I Want a Dog," the ominous "I'm Not Scared") are custom fit to his wry, talky delivery. But when he actually tries to sing on the cover of Sterling Void's dance-floor hit "It's Alright," his vocal limitations become obvious. Introspective may be a fleeting pleasure at best, but by the time it's absorbed and forgotten, the next Pet Shop Boys record will be due. (RS 540)

MARK COLEMAN