& electric guitars, background vocals); Bernd Schoenhart (acoustic & electric guitars); Juan Cerro (Spanish guitar); Alain Perez (tres, keyboards, bass, background vocals); Inoidel Gonzalez (saxophone); Juan Munguia, Raul Agras (trumpet); William Paredes, Joe Fiedler (trombone); Sergio George (piano, keyboards, bass, programming); Ivan Gonzalez (piano); Luca Germini (keyboards, programming); Ruben Rodriguez (bass); Jose Aguilera (cajon, bongos, percussion); Luis Quintero, Marc Quinones (percussion); Cherito, Sarah Gomez (background vocals).

Principally recorded at Sony Music Studios, New York, New York; Crescent Moon, Miami, Florida; Primera Base, D-Ley, Madrid, Spain.

REGALO DEL ALMA won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Salsa/Merengue Album.

Adapter: Oscar Gomez.

Personnel: Celia Cruz (vocals); Yrvis Mendez (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bajo sexto, keyboards, programming); Bernd Schoenhart (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Juan Cerro (Spanish guitar); Alain Pérez (tres, bajo sexto, keyboards); Sergio George (bajo sexto, piano, keyboards, drum programming); Rubén Rodríguez (bajo sexto); Juan Munguía (trumpet); Ivan "Melón" González (piano); Jose "Majito" Aguilera (bongos, bata, timbales, percussion); Marc Quiñones, Luis Quintero (percussion).

Recording information: Bennet Studios, NJ; Crescent Moon Studios, Miami, FL; D-Ley, Madrid, Spain; Primera Base, Madrid, Spain; Sony Music Studios, New York, NY; The Azucar Room, NJ.

Photographer: Adolfo Pérez Butrón.

Arrangers: Yrvis Mendez; Alain Pérez; Sergio George.

The final recording of the mighty Queen of Salsa's career, Regalo del Alma was certainly in keeping with the exuberant, joyful tone that her enormous fan base has come to expect from her. With stylistic influences and production value a bit more modern than one might expect from a legend whose recording career has spanned 45 years, this album will hook yet another generation on Celia Cruz's regal, earthy presence. Cruz is joined by a cast of consummate professionals including producer Sergio George, percussionists Marc Quiñones and Luis Quintero, and many of the usual suspects that one might expect to find on a record of this caliber. These contemporary masters bring a freshness to the project that is invigorating. There are several loop-driven tracks like "Ella Tiene Fuego" and "La Nina de la Trenza Negra" that propel Cruz and her loyal fan base into the 21st century. There are times when this production masks the subtle richness of Celia's vocal performance. For this reason, there could be some Cruz purists who are turned off by the new approach. The final track on the album is a creative rendition of the disco classic "I Will Survive." Like a declaration from beyond, chilling lyrics and a gorgeous arrangement hit their mark with force. "In the soul of my people, in the skin of the drums, in the hands of the conga player, in the feet of the dancer, I will live on." ~ Evan C. Gutierrez

"Regalo del Alma" ("Gift of the Soul") is perhaps the ideal phrase to sum up the astounding career of Celia Cruz. With her undiluted musical vision, ever-positive outlook, and flair for crowd-pleasing showmanship, the undisputed "Queen of Salsa" brought joy to listeners worldwide for nearly seven decades. Even more amazing than the length of her tenure, however, is the unflagging consistency of her recorded output. Like George Jones and Frank Sinatra, two of the very few other singers to so completely define their chosen genres across multiple generations, Cruz's voice only became richer and more expressive with age.

Even here, while battling the brain tumor that eventually ended her life, Cruz sounds as powerful as a completely healthy woman one quarter of her age. Whether bolstered by electro-style synth bass ("Ella Tiene Fuego") or hearkening back to the no-frills Cuban dance music that Cruz helped create ("A Maria Loca"), every track is driven by the vocalist's perfect phrasing, sense of playfulness, and supreme confidence. In short, REGALO DEL ALMA is not only a fitting encore--it makes abundantly clear why Cruz will likely be forever remembered as the greatest salsa artist of all time. Azucar!