Lilian Garcia – ¡Quiero Vivir!
Universal Music Latino (10/9/07)
Latin pop/rock
Lilian Garcia is no stranger to World Wrestling Entertainment fans, as their premier ring announcer, and also for her amazing “on your feet” renditions of the National Anthem, countless performances for various NFL sporting events and constant support for the US troops. That said, she recently released a heavily anticipated debut album, ¡Quiero Vivir!, in which 11 of the 12 songs were co-written by Lilian and either heavily influenced by Latin music or sung in Spanish. This album has been in the making for the last two years and is being released via Universal Music Latino.
Now, for the biggest question poised by this album’s release—does this alienate her fan base that doesn’t speak Spanish? In no way should Lilian turn her back on her upbringing, which includes spending eight years in Spain while her father was working at the American Embassy. She does provide two English interpretated tracks, including “Where Did Love Go?”, a special duet with Jon Secada, but is it enough? Their voices blend together nicely and Jon is a perfect duet partnerfor this love song. Lilian’s also written three tracks with members of her family, including her sister Dalia (who is also a recording artist) and her mother Mercedes.
What the WWE definitely understands about Lilian’s mass market appeal is she is indeed the perfect crossover marketing superstar for their Latino audience, as well as being beautiful, full of energy and personality, and able to knock out a song universally. She never fails to come across as personable and likeable in mainstream media, and WWE would be wise to give her more mainstream media bookings to publicize the album outside of their demographic.
¡Quiero Vivir! is an enjoyable listen, as Lilian is clearly able to passionately sing in Spanish and English. Not wanting to be heavily dependent on referring to the English lyrics, my views on this record are dependent on the passion Lilian has put on the album, which is strong. Her voice never denies her, no matter what language she sings in.
“¡Quiero Vivir!”, the album’s title track (which means “I Want To Live!”) was a good choice as a first single and brings the contagious energy Lilian has while performing this song. I’m optimistic for an English album in the future and believe it will be a greater success if WWE is willing to invest in another Lilian album in the future, and they have no reason not to.
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