MIAMI MICE

One pitcher of margaritas and a few bars of “Conga”--the recent hit by the Florida-based group Miami Sound Machine--is potent enough to turn any conga-line reject into Ricky Ricardo. The record has a kind of twitchy, fast-paced appeal that compels you to party, but aside from that song, the only thing hot and sultry about this 12-member unit is the state it hails from.

Saturday night at the Beverly Theatre, the group’s repetitive, undistinguished Latin-pop rarely kicked into high gear, despite the efforts of its key member, singer Gloria Estefan. Estefan, the only member of the group who exhibits any personality or polish, has a lovely, pitch-perfect vocal style. On certain ballads, notably a version of “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” she even had the throaty, melodic sound of a Latin Karen Carpenter. She simply lacks the power to give this group the tropical punch it needs.