Libre

1	Celos 4:47
2	Este Loco Que Te Mira 4:55
3	Viviendo 4:43
4	Hasta Que Vuelvas Conmigo 4:51
5	Barco a la Deriva 4:34
6	De Que Depende 3:52
7	Yo Te Quiero 5:10
8	Amor Aventurero 4:42
9	Caminaré 4:15

Barnes & Noble

When Nuyorican crooner Marc Anthony made his hugely successful crossover bid with an English-language album of Latin-accented R&B, more than a few of his fans wondered why, apart from the hit "I Need to Know," an otherwise feral performer sounded so many relentlessly bland notes. Answering critical salsa fans, Anthony returns with a taut album of driven dance music that is true to both his astounding vocal talent and riveting improvisational technique. Libre is a straight-up Latin album, and while it breaks little new ground -- indeed, Anthony quotes the melodies from his hits "You Sang to Me" and "Preciosa" on "Viviendo" and "Caminaré," respectively -- the by-the-book numbers serve as a fine salsa primer. New fans, witness what this man can do with an ad lib: As the piano pounds behind him, Anthony unleashes a torrent of improvised rhythm. It's a salsa skill so well honed that Anthony's struck an historic publishing deal out of it (improvisers don't usually get songwriting credits). Meanwhile, the achingly tender readings of his pop album find their counterpart in the intros to many of these tracks, especially the bolero "Hasta Que Vuelvas Conmigo." Longtime admirers will simply melt in the dance-floor fire of the showpiece "Barco a la Deriva," which begins with panpipes and ends in one of Anthony's most inspiring soneos on record. Producing himself with help from longtime arranger Juan Gonzalez, Anthony recaptures much of the muscularity of his early albums, confident that Latin and pop audiences alike will respond to this urgent beat. With the world watching -- his pop album garnered a huge new audience for the star -- Anthony makes an assured bid with Libre to have his café and drink it, too. Mark Schwartz

All Music Guide

Even when Marc Anthony had accomplished his major goals of becoming one of the world's best-selling salsa singers, getting successfully involved in the English-language market as well, he decided to look over his roots once again, delving into songwriting to follow his previous Latin dance record, Contra La Corriente, released in 1997. Recorded over an eight-month period, Libre comprised nine songs, including the hit single "Celos" and the brilliantly made "Este Loco Que te Mira," "Hasta Que Vuelvas Conmigo," and "Barco a la Deriva." Flawless and seductive, Libre comes to an end with "Caminaré," getting Marc Anthony closer to one of Cuban music's treasures, a Latin style known as bolero. Drago Bonacich

Billboard

Marc Anthony's first studio salsa recording in four years is incredibly rich in artistry and texture...and it's daring, too.