No Guilt

I don't understand Sally Shapiro titling an album My Guilty Pleasure, but I don't understand feeling guilty about pleasures either. Her relatively anonymous performance - more a set of modest vocal inflections than something that reflects a person - may not be the thing we're supposed to want, but when pure pop is as gorgeous as this Italian disco, it's tough to feel bad. She returns to the sound, style and subject matter of Disco Romance, but "Looking at the Stars," "Love in July" and "Miracle" are as engaging a trio of songs as I've heard this year with hooks that pay off repeatedly, no matter how familiar they seem. Sally Shapiro's not her real name, so there's nothing personal about the album, but self-expression is really overrated.