''Regalo del Alma'' (
English: ''A Gift from the Soul'') is the final
studio album recorded by Cuban salsa recording artist
Celia Cruz, released posthumously on 29 July 2003 by
Sony Music Latin, following Cruz's death from brain cancer on July 16, 2003. It is Cruz's seventieth album.
The album spawned two singles, "
Rie y Llora" and "
Ella Tiene Fuego". The former peaked at number twelve on the
''Billboard'' Latin Songs chart and number nineteen on the
''Billboard'' Latin Pop Songs chart. It led the
''Billboard'' Tropical Songs chart for eleven weeks in 2003. The latter reached number twenty-five and number two on the Latin Song and Tropical Songs charts, respectively.
Selling 24,000 copies in its first week, the recording peaked at number forty on the
''Billboard'' 200 and number one on both the
''Billboard'' Latin Albums and
''Billboard'' Tropical Albums charts. ''Regalo del Alma'' was awarded the
Latin Grammy Award for Best Salsa Album
The Latin Grammy Award for Best Salsa Album is an honor presented annually by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and promotes a wider awareness of cultural diversity an ...
. It also received the
Grammy Award for Best Salsa/Merengue Album at the
46th Annual Grammy Awards.
Background
In 2001, Cruz released her fifty-ninth album, ''
La Negra Tiene Tumbao''. The album featured a top ten single, in its
title track
A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title.
Title track may a ...
as well as two relatively successful singles, "Hay Que Empezar Otra Vez" and "Pa' Arriba No Va".
"
La Negra Tiene Tumbao" peaked at number thirty on the
''Billboard'' Latin Songs chart and number four on the
''Billboard'' Tropical Songs chart. "Hay Que Empezar Otra Vez" peaked at number sixteen on the
''Billboard'' Tropical Songs chart.
The former received nominations for
Record of the Year
The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...
,
Song of the Year, and
Music Video of the Year at the
Latin Grammy Awards of 2002
The 3rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards were held in Los Angeles at the Kodak Theatre on Wednesday, September 18, 2002. Alejandro Sanz was the night's big winner, winning a total of three awards including Album of the Year. The ceremony returned in s ...
.
The album won the
Latin Grammy Award for Best Salsa Album
The Latin Grammy Award for Best Salsa Album is an honor presented annually by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and promotes a wider awareness of cultural diversity an ...
.
It was nominated for
Album of the Year.
[ The album peaked at number five and number two on the ''Billboard'' Latin Albums and ''Billboard'' Tropical Albums charts, respectively. It also managed to peak at number thirty-eight on the ''Billboard'' Heatseeker Albums chart.] In November 2002, a compilation album entitled '' Hits Mix'' was released. The album eventually went on to peak at number two on the ''Billboard'' Latin Albums, and number one on the ''Billboard'' Tropical Albums chart. It also peaked at number 106 on the ''Billboard'' 200.
Recording and production
Following a presentation in Mexico in 2002, Cruz began to show signs of her failing health. Cruz was to begin recording in December 2002, however that month, Cruz was sidelined by a brain tumor. In early 2003, following a partially successful surgery to remove the tumor, Cruz returned to the studio to record ''Regalo del Alma'', weeks after the operation. While recording the album, Cruz knew "she was gonna die at any moment, any month," according to producer Sergio George
Sergio George (born May 23, 1961) is an American pianist, arranger, and record producer, known for working with many famous performers of salsa music, although he has worked in other genres of the music industry as well. He has worked with some ...
. George claimed the album to be an emotional and bizarre project to work on. He cited Cruz's "will to win and to fight to get this record done" as being something he would cherish for the rest of his life, calling the album his great achievement. " Ríe y Llora" was the final song recorded before her death. Cruz asked that the song be the lead single for the album, "as it was the song in which she identified with." Cruz later died on 16 July 2003 of brain cancer, at the age of 77.
Musical composition
"Ella Tiene Fuego" ("She Has Fire") combines tropical and rap musical genres. On Eduardo Marceles' biography of Cruz, Marceles considered the song to be "another rap theme". The second track, "José Caridad", was composed in minor key tonality. It features the use of a piano, a brass horn ensemble, prominent percussion and mallet percussion. The song also uses acoustic instrumentation. The song also makes use of vocal call and response. "Ríe y Llora" ("Laugh and Cry") was composed in minor key tonality with joyful lyrics and catchy hooks. It features the use of a piano, brass horn ensemble and prominent percussion. It takes influence from Afro-Latin music. The song experiments in pop balladry, accompanied by the use of an electric guitar. According to a biography of Cruz, the song "is about laughing and crying. Cruz reminds her listeners to live their lives fully and enjoy every moment." Cuban writer Jose Quiroga claimed the song to be "an appeal to live for the moment, and to understand that forgiveness is not forgetting, but rather the possibility of remembering without pain." He opined that the song was appropriately titled. "Pa' La Cola" was composed in major key tonality. It features Caribbean roots, taking influences from Afro-Latin American and Caribbean musical styles. "María la Loca" ("María, the Crazy One") was composed in minor key tonality. Lyrically, the song speaks of love and heartbreak. It experiments in acoustic balladry. " Yo Vivire (I Will Survive)" was originally performed by American singer Gloria Gaynor. It was written by Freddie Perren
Frederick James Perren (May 15, 1943 – December 16, 2004) was an American songwriter, record producer, arranger, and orchestra conductor. He co-wrote and co-produced songs including "Boogie Fever" by the Sylvers, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gay ...
and Dino Fekaris. Cruz originally covered the song in Spanish on her 2000 album, ''Siempre Vivire'' (''I Will Always Live'').
Release and promotion
The album marked Cruz's seventieth album. The album was originally released on 29 July 2003. It was rereleased on 5 August 2003, by Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainme ...
. In February 2003, the Spanish-language television network Telemundo
Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is owned by Comcast. It provides content nationally with pr ...
announced that it would produce and air a tribute concert honoring Cruz, entitled ¡Celia Cruz: Azúcar!. It was hosted by American singer Marc Anthony and Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan. It featured musical performances by various Latin music and Anglo performers including American singer Victor Manuelle, Mexican singer Paulina Rubio
Paulina Susana Rubio Dosamantes (; born 17 June 1971) is a Mexican singer. Referred to as " The Golden Girl" and " Queen of Latin Pop", she first achieved recognition as a member of the successful pop group Timbiriche from 1982 through 1991. Af ...
, Puerto Rican singer José Feliciano
José Montserrate Feliciano García (born September 10, 1945) () is a Puerto Rican musician, singer and composer. He recorded many international hits, including his rendition of the Doors' "Light My Fire" and his self-penned Christmas song " F ...
, Dominican singer Milly Quezada
Milagros Quezada Borbón (born May 21, 1955) is a Dominican singer specializing in Merengue. She is a four-time Latin Grammy Award winner and has been referred to as the "Queen of Merengue" because of her impact on the world of merengue music. ...
, Colombian group Los Tri-O, Estefan, American singer Patti LaBelle, Cuban musician Arturo Sandoval
Arturo Sandoval is a Cuban-American jazz trumpeter, pianist, and composer. While living in his native Cuba, Sandoval was influenced by jazz musicians Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1977 he met Gillespie, who became his f ...
, Mexican singer Ana Gabriel
María Guadalupe Araujo Yong (born December 10, 1955), better known as Ana Gabriel, is a Mexican singer and songwriter from Guamuchil, Sinaloa, Mexico. She first sang on the stage at age six, singing "Regalo A Dios" by José Alfredo Jiménez. ...
, Puerto Rican singer Gilberto Santa Rosa
Gilberto Santa Rosa Cortés, nicknamed "El Caballero de la Salsa" (The Gentleman of Salsa) (born August 21, 1962), is a Puerto Rican bandleader and singer of salsa and bolero. He is a six time Grammy Award winner and has sold over three million ...
, Puerto Rican singer Tito Nieves
Humberto "Tito" Nieves (born June 4, 1959; also known "El Pavarotti de la Salsa") is a Puerto Rican musician who became one of the leading salsa singers of the 1980s and the early 1990s.
Born in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, and raised in the Unite ...
, Cuban singer Albita, Dominican singer Johnny Pacheco
Juan Pablo Knipping Pacheco (25 March 1935 – 15 February 2021), known as Johnny Pacheco, was a Dominican musician, arranger, composer, bandleader, and record producer who in the 1970s became one of the leading exponents of salsa as well in t ...
, Mexican singer Alicia Villareal
Martha Alicia Villarreal Esparza (born August 31, 1971), known simply and professionally as Alicia Villarreal, is a Mexican singer-songwriter.
Villarreal participated in different bands in Monterrey, before becoming the lead singer for Grupo ...
, Puerto Rican singer Olga Tañón
Olga Teresa Tañón OrtizIn this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is ''Tañón'' and the second or maternal family name is ''Ortiz''. (born April 13, 1967) is a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter. Over the course of her career, she has ...
, Puerto Rican singer Mikey Perfecto, Dominican singer José Alberto "El Canario"
José Alberto Justiniano (born December 22, 1959, in Villa Consuelo, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic), better known by his stage name José Alberto "El Canario", is a salsa singer from the Dominican Republic. José Alberto moved to Puerto Ri ...
, Puerto Rican singer Rosario, Nicaraguan Luis Enrique
Luis Enrique Martínez García (; born 8 May 1970), known as Luis Enrique, is a Spanish football manager and former player.
A versatile player with good technique, he was capable of playing in several different positions, but usually played as ...
, Anthony and American Gloria Gaynor. The tribute special aired in March 2003. It raised $145,000 for the Celia Cruz Foundation. This was Cruz's final public appearance. On 27 January 2004, the concert was released on DVD.
Commercial performance
Upon release, the album sold 24,000 copies in its first week. Copies of the album soon sold out, following its release. For the week of 9 August 2003, the album debuted at number fifty-one on the ''Billboard'' Latin Albums chart, and number five on the ''Billboard'' Tropical Albums chart. The following week, the album rose to number one on both charts, debuting at number forty on the ''Billboard'' 200. It led the Latin Albums chart for three weeks, being succeeded by ''Nuestro Destino Estaba Escrito
''Nuestro Destino Estaba Escrito'' ( Eng.: ''Our Destiny Was Written'') is a studio album released by Regional Mexican band Intocable. This album became their third number-one set on the ''Billboard'' Top Latin Albums. It was released with two ...
'' by Intocable
Intocable ("Untouchable" in English) is an American band from Zapata, Texas that plays Regional Mexican music; specializing in Norteño and Tejano music. It was started by friends Ricardo Javier Muñoz and René Orlando Martínez in the ear ...
, for the week of 6 September 2003. The album led the Tropical Albums chart for five weeks, being succeeded by Cruz's ''Exitos Eternos'' for the week of 20 September 2003. ''Exitos Eternos'' led the chart for three weeks before being dislodged by ''Regalo Del Alma'' for the week of 11 October 2003. ''Exitos Eternos'' returned to the top, the following week of 18 October 2003, while ''Regalo Del Alma'' reclaimed the top spot for the following week of 25 October 2003. The following week, ''Exitos Eternos'' reclaimed the top spot.
Critical reception
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
's Evan Gutierrez gave the album four and a half stars out of five stars. He praised the album for "keeping with the exuberant, joyful tone" of Cruz and for its freshness that made the project invigorating. Gutierrez claimed the album to have modern stylistic influences and production. For this reason, he claimed the production to sometimes "mask the subtle richness of Celia's vocal performance." He felt that older Cruz fans might not favor the album. He cited "Ella Tiene Fuego" and "La Nina de la Trenza Negra" to be "loop-driven tracks that propel Cruz and her loyal fan base into the 21st century." Gutierrez called "Yo Vivire" "a creative rendition of the disco classic "I Will Survive." He referred to it being "like a declaration from beyond" with "chilling lyrics and a gorgeous arrangement." Leila Cobo of '' Billboard'' magazine felt that the album was recorded in "typical Cruz manner: quickly and from the heart." The ''Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...
s Achy Obejas gave the album a favorable review. He called a "measured finale". He compared "Ella Tiene Fuego" to Cruz's 2001 single " La Vida Es Un Carnaval" and "La Nina de la Trenza Negra" to "La Negra Tiene Tumbao". He claimed the album to deliver "power pop, hardcore salsa and Cuban soul". He called "Yo Vivire" "over the top", also labeling it "testimony," because according to him, "for all her modesty, even she ruz
''Ruz'' is a 2009 film directed by Gopalen Parthiben Chellapermal.
Synopsis
A family of mixed heritage sits down to eat. There is the grandmother of Creole origin, the grandfather of Tamil origin, their daughter, her husband of Chinese origi ...
knew she was timeless."
Accolades and legacy
"Ríe y Llora" received an American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers award for Tropical Song of the Year. At the Latin Grammy Awards of 2004
The 5th Annual Latin Grammy Awards were held on Wednesday, September 1, 2004, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
This was the last telecast of the awards nationally in the United States in English with a CBS contract. Effective in 2005, t ...
, the song won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Tropical Song
The Latin Grammy Award for Best Tropical Song is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the ...
. It is considered one of Cruz's most significant songs. According to the Spanish-language newspaper, ''El Pais'', the song helped relieve the "nostalgia" caused by Cruz's death. The Spanish-language newspaper ''El Heraldo'', included the song on its list of ten songs that "immortalized Cruz". "Ella Tiene Fuego" also received an American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers award for Tropical Song of the Year in 2005. At the Latin Grammy Award ceremony, ''Regalo del Alma'' was awarded the Latin Grammy Award for Best Salsa Album
The Latin Grammy Award for Best Salsa Album is an honor presented annually by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and promotes a wider awareness of cultural diversity an ...
. It also received the Grammy Award for Best Salsa/Merengue Album at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards. The Spanish-language newspaper ''La Nación'' claimed "Ríe y Llora" and "Yo Vivire" to be two of Cruz's most "tasty" videos. At the 2004 Latin Billboard Music Awards
Below are the winners of the 2004 ''Billboard'' Latin Music Awards, handed out April 29 in Miami.
Hot Latin Song of the Year Hot Latin Song of the Year
* " Tal Vez", - Ricky Martin
Vocal Duet or Collaboration
* " Fotografía", Juanes With Ne ...
, ''Regalo Del Alma'' was awarded Tropical Album of the Year in the female category. Cobo predicted that the album should and would win the award. She also won the Greatest Hits Album of the Year for ''Hits Mix'' (2002), also becoming the Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year. In the Tropical Album of the Year female category, Cruz was also nominated with ''Exitos Eternos'' (2003) and ''Hits Mix''. In the Greatest Hits Album of the Year category, Cruz was also nominated for ''Exitos Eternos''.
Track listing
Notes
*The tracks "Ella Tiene Fuego", "Ríe y Llora", "Diagnóstico", "Me Huele a Rumba", "Pa' La Cola", and "Yo Viviré (I Will Survive)" were produced by Sergio George.
*The tracks "José Caridad", "Ay, Pena, Penita", "La Niña de la Trenza Negra", "No Estés Amargao", and "María la Loca" were produced by Oscar Gómez.
Personnel
This information is adapted from Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
.
Production
*Sergio George — Piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
, arranger, keyboards
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
, producer, bass, drum programming
Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices and computer software, such as sequencers and workstations or hardware synthesizers, sampler and sequencers, to generate sounds of musical instruments. These ...
*Angel Carrasco — Executive producer
*Bob Brockman — Mixing
*Mike Fuller — Mastering
*Jake R. Tanner — Engineer
*Luca Germini — Engineer
*Jon Fausty
Jon Fausty (born February 20, 1949 ) is a multiple Grammy Award-winning sound and recording engineer best known for his work on some of the most successful Latin albums ever recorded.
Fausty's career has spanned over six decades. He has desig ...
— Engineer, mixing
*Jorge Gómez — Sound technician, mixing
*Oscar Gómez — Adaptation, digital producer, vocals, realization, mixing
*Ivan "Melón" González — Piano
*Carlos Laurenz — Engineer, sound technician, mixing
*José López — Sound technician
*Olga Santos — Sound technician
*Susana Ensin Tarriño — Production coordination
*Maite Palencia — Production coordination
*Adolfo Pérez Butrón — Photography
Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employe ...
*Mario Houben — Graphic design
*Rudy Sanchez — Hair
Musicians
*Yrvis Méndez — Acoustic guitar, arranger, electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...
, keyboards, programming, bass, vocals
*Jose "Majito" Aguilera — percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...
, bongos
Bongos ( es, bongó) are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. They are struck with both hands, most commonly in an eight-stroke pattern called ''martillo'' (hammer). The ...
, timbales
Timbales () or pailas are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing. They are shallower than single-headed tom-toms and usually tuned much higher, especially for their size.Orovio, Helio 1981. ''Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfico ...
, bata, cajón
A cajón (; "box", "crate" or "drawer") is a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru, played by slapping the front or rear faces (generally thin plywood) with the hands, fingers, or sometimes implements such as brushes, mallets, o ...
, tumbadora
The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest) ...
, vocals
*Alain Pérez — Arranger, keyboards, tres
Tres may refer to:
* Tres (instrument), a Cuban musical instrument
* Tres, Trentino, municipality in Italy
* "Tres" (song) by Juanes
* "Tres", a song by Líbido from their album ''Hembra''
* TrES, the ''Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey''
* Templi ...
, bass, vocals
*Bernd Schoenhart — Acoustic guitar, electric guitar
*Juan Cerro — Spanish guitar
*Juan Munguía — Trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
*Marc Quiñones — Percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...
*Luis Quintero — Percussion
*Cherito — Vocals
*Celía Cruz — Vocals
*William Duvall — Vocals
*Rubén Rodríguez — Bass
*Julio Barreto — Vocals
*Axé Bahia — Guest appearance
*El General — Rap
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Release history
Sales and certifications
See also
*List of number-one Billboard Top Latin Albums of 2003
The ''Billboard'' Top Latin albums chart, published in ''Billboard'' magazine, is a record chart that features Latin music sales information. These data are compiled by Nielsen SoundScan from a sample that includes music stores, music departmen ...
*List of number-one Billboard Tropical Albums from the 2000s
The ''Billboard'' Tropical Albums chart, published in ''Billboard'' magazine, is a record chart that features Latin music sales information in regard to tropical music. The data is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan
Luminate (formerly Nielsen So ...
References
{{Authority control
2003 albums
Celia Cruz albums
Sony Discos albums
Albums published posthumously
Albums produced by Sergio George
Latin Grammy Award for Best Salsa Album