Vivo

Say what you will about this Latin superstar ( and plenty has been written....not all being complimentary! ) he certainly knows how to put on a show! While being regarded as a giant in the field of Latin 'pop' he has consistantly released a product that shows a type of 'musical maturity' that belies his relatively young age. Cutting his teeth, so to speak, on 3 excellent discs featuring songs of romance i.e. " Romance ", "Segundo Romance " and " Romances " he has won over the hearts of women the world over. That being the case, it is truly interesting that on " Vivo" the highpoints aren't necessarily the three romance medley's but the slighly more uptempo numbers! Beginning with the startling " Quiero " things get off to a fast start and only slows down moderately with " Tu Solo Tu ", definitely one of my favorites.... in a disc filled with favorites! Obviously the audience is here to listen to Luis sing songs of love ( natch! ) and he doesn't disappoint. Medley No. 1 takes off and the fans are in a state of ecstacy! Generally I find audiences to be slightly intrusive on live cd's but I'm willing to forgo that complaint here....besides I'd probably be yelling too. Other highlight's include, " Suave " another uptempo that really swings quite well, thank-you and " O Tu O Ninguna " a mid-tempo that made me wish I spoke Spanish! Plus, throwing in " La Bikina " a mariachi number that was nominated for a Latin Grammy this year, and you get the idea that things are moving along very nicely! Adding to all this is a band that plays extremely well together and seems to stay with Luis every step of the way. Some of the disc does sound as though perhaps the band is slightly over-rehearsed and that they don't leave much room for any spontinenty but that's a small infraction. And as for LM himself....obviously he's in fine voice and playing the consumate entertainer who is very much at home onstage. An artist who truly knows his audience and here gives all of himself for their enjoyment. And ours! Bravo to Luis and bandmates!

In the end, " Vivo " is simply chock full of great music, wonderful packaging and tons of pictures plus a small booklet as well! I will readily admit that there is a hint of 'Las Vegas schmaltz' incorporated in his shows but I won't fault him for that. A lot of thought went into releasing this product and while many might find it slightly calculating, I find everything very much to my liking. So you may wish to look into having " Vivo " added to your 'musical library' as well. And as to where you locate your copy....well, that's up to you!

East-coast based now as I am, I remained shocked when I discover that most people around me still don't know who Luis Miguel is. Perhaps with the influx of Hispanic culture that will soon change, and Luis is the best of that pocket. Once you hear him belt out something as celestial as "Historia de Un Amor", you'll never forget him. He's Old School Romantic, and I hope to God we never lose this sensibility completely to rap, hip hop and formula Mariah-pop.

On this live CD, one discovers that Luis' voice is still getting richer - what is he - maybe 35 now? I didn't think any male voice could top Luis' as demonstrated on "Seguendo Romance" 1994, and none has, except Luis himself. He is still refining his marvelous gift, and that is evidenced herein.

This seems the perfect DVD vehicle, and I'll probably go out finally and buy one as soon as the companion to this CD is available. Luis always puts on a stellar concert with full orchestra and a kick butt ensemble, and the world hasn't seen his kind of stage presence and magnitude since the 50s or 60s.

What is best about this CD - and about Luis - is that for all of his 'old school' stylings, of which he is a master, one doesn't feel like he or she is wallowing in Nostalgia when listening to Luis. He is NOW, and he brings a sensibility worth bringing into the 21st Century to the Present.