Viva La Vida (Deluxe Edition) (2CD)

Once again Vikki Carr has proven that she is the BEST vocalist for all time! Her newest CD, VIVA LA VIDA is outstanding!! Ms. Carr's delivers each song with great emotion and passion. Her vocals just draw you in like a moth to a flame and I find that I must listen to this CD at least once a day! The symphonic orchestration by Maestro Jose Hernandez and Mariachi Sol de Mexico is remarkable and a perfection union of two great talents. On a personal note, this album has made me very proud of my own hispanic roots. Ms. Carr's interpretation of Mis Raices Medley is jam packed with energy and pride and I really enjoyed the personal message that she shared with her fans! If you haven't purchased this treasure of a CD yet, I highly recommend you do so. You'll enjoy every bit of this entire album!

Viva La Vida, the lastest album from the legendary vocalist/entertainer Vikki Carr, has finally arrived via the Sony Latin Music label, and it is a truly unique musical masterpiece. Although Vikki has been extremely successful as one of the remaining standard bearers of the 20th century golden age of American popular music, (she was one of the young'uns in that group) Vikki continues to prove her relevance as a 21st century working artist. And work she did on this project. She produced this album, along with the mariachi maestro Jose Hernadez. I am going to be perfectly frank and admit that I am not a fluent Spanish speaker, so I can't give you literal translations. But I do love Vikki's work in English and Spanish. This is a Spanish language album which is kind of a love letter to Vikki's extremely loyal fans in Spanish speaking countries, most notably Mexico, from which her ancestors hail. The wonder of Vikki Carr's interpretive powers is that one doesn't have to speak the Spanish language to understand the feelings that are conveyed. There is so much love and passion and pain and gratitude conveyed in these songs, and the meanings come through, all because of Vikki's command of the artistic gift of expressing emotion. She is peerless in her expressive abilities. On this album, the arrangements are beautifully complex, and Vikki Carr's singing is soulful and powerful. Although Vikki Carr is such a pro that she sometimes makes the vocal performance look easy, it should be noted that this is dense, rich, complex material, with a lot of orchestral flourishes. The musicality just pours from the speakers. I will leave it to my Spanish speaking friends to offer literal interpretations, but I can tell you that Miss Carr herself proclaims that this album celebrates life, in all its joy and pain. She is a pretty optimistic lady herself, who admonishes us to just keep on living life, no matter what may come. Thus, the title tune, "Viva La Vida" is one of my favorites. From the opening musical flourish of the song, I know that I want to hear more. Another noteworthy track is the final medley, which is truly exceptional with a nod to the three Mexican cities from which Vikki's grandparents came. This medley is presented to the listener with such a spirit of love and gratitude. But that shouldn't surprise anyone...this album, from its dedications to some very important people in the life of Miss Carr's to its musically enticing songs, is an art piece, featuring accomplished musicians and a vocalist who is outstanding in her command of communicating to the listener. Vikki Carr goes beyong selling the song--she IS the song! One more thing: the deluxe version includes not only the lovely new album but also a bonus CD of some of Vikki Carr's personal favorites from that Columbia/Sony Latin years that she has chosen espcially for this collection. I highly recommend Viva La Vida by Vikki Carr. It's a beautifully realized project that just gets better and better with each listen. Get your copy today!