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About Latin Roots…

“These are the rhythms of my soul”, Lucie Arnaz says of her new LATIN ROOTS CD to be released on the LML Music label. And indeed it is. An eclectic celebration of her musical heritage, Lucie Arnaz, playfully wends her way through some pop contemporary south of the border sounds, enduring American standards, sensually enhanced by a Brazilian accent or basted by a bossa nova beat, takes on the fiery Latin classics of her father, Desi Arnaz, includes a song penned with his grandson, her musician-composer son, Joe Luckinbill and his godmother, her longtime collaborator, Grammy winning artist, Madeline Stone and a tune her father wrote for her mother which has never been recorded before.

Praise for Latin Roots…

• “Listening to Lucie’s new recording is sheer show business joy. She captures the energy and spirit of her father’s music and put’s her own inimitable stamp on it. She’s an original and a treasure!”

  — Michael Feinstein

• “It’s difficult to not be seduced by this delectable and highly personal new disc from Arnaz,…..one truly feels as if one has been transported back to a time when entertainers such as Desi were all the rage in nightclubs across the country….. a contemporary cabaret performer with a torch singer’s flair. …..She delivers a tune he wrote in the 1960s, “I Love You,” as well as his signature “Babalu,” which is cleverly paired in a medley with an early Ricky Martin hit, “La Copa de la Vida,” by Desmond Child, Rubi Rosa and Luis Escolar. It’s old-school Latin music meets new school, and it’s highly satisfying. The disc’s final track is Dan Fogelberg’s “Leader of the Band,” which she delivers with touching simplicity. Accompanying the CD is a truly wonderful 12-page booklet, filled with color photographs of Cuba and the singer’s notes and thoughts on each song. It’s not only informative, it also heightens a listener’s sense that the disc is somewhat like having an intimate conversation with the stage and screen star.”

  — Theatremania 2/03/10

• “I was so overwhelmed with this truly exciting recording, the retelling and revitalizing of standards like “You” and “The Night and The Music” and the Porter/Mercer medley made them feel brand new and you made even songs like Johnny Angel and Bossa Nova better you should be SO proud of the CD, just perfection.”

  — Michael Kerker (ASCAP)

• “To say Lucie Arnaz can light up a room is an understatement. In fact, she lit up all of Robinson Auditorium with several thousand people during herperformance with Marvin Hamlisch and Robert Klein. The trio of extraordinary talents were big hits with the Arkansas Symphony as expected.

  It was so well put together, so beautifully arranged, so charming. The whole night was a joy. And very touching.”

  — Mack McClarty (Bill Clinton Library, Little Rock, Arkansas)-David Zippel (Broadway/Pop lyricist)

• “Tonight is a night that I will never forget for the rest of my life. You are a combination of many things that make up a completely original entertainer. To come face to face with the entire force of you energy and talent. Was a thrill.”

  — Eduardo Machado (Playwright)

• “At a packed-to-the-gills Birdland in New York City on July 17. she launched into a lengthy set which showed off her rangy voice in standards, country and her own Broadway hit “They’re Playing Our Song.” She paid constant tribute to her dad, Desi Arnaz, whose music inspired her from childhood and, indeed, was at her best in a couple of fiery Latin songs.”

  — Gay City News (New York City)

• “…Backed by a killer-talented band, Lucie took to the stage with the rousing, “Lulu’s Back in Town,” and proceeded to set the bar incredibly high for herself! In impressive voice, exuding sexual energy and looking damn amazing, one had to wonder if she made some pact with Ian McShane’s devil character, while doing Witches, to stay thirty forever! Highlights included the standards: “Moonglow” and “Witchcraft’” where Lucie brought a new and invigorating sensuality to the oft-heard chestnuts; “They’re Playing Our Song” from her Broadway debut musical of the same name; the showstopping “Who’s the Man” from Witches of Eastwick–The Musical; a killer “Something’s Gotta Give” arrangement with Billy Stritch as well as a jazzified hot “Walking After Midnight”. Her between-song-speak wasn’t the typical banal banter we usually get from many celebs. Lucie delved personal, speaking about the influences of her father’s band on her growing up and telling some very funny theatre stories. She incredulously ‘hated performing’ as a child. She lovingly spoke of her husband, actor Laurence Luckinbill and her two children, who were there, at the bar, to support her. (At the bar, because the show was such a sell-out, her own family couldn’t get seats!!!) Through it all, Lucie’s marvelous and highly underrated gifts as a comedienne were glaringly obvious. The woman is hilarious, as was quite evident when she introduced one of her own penned song parodies in response to the sexist ditty: “To All the Girls I Loved Before,” but instead of Willie and Julio, her version featured Dolly and Charo. She then sang the duet AS Dolly and Charo. It was a side-splitting bit with a feminist edge. She transformed into a fiery Latina and paid tribute to her dad, Desi on a couple of songs (notably: “El Cumbanchero”). Again, the genre of music changed but the electricity intensified. Finally, Lucie ended with a gorgeous arrangement of “Hey, Look Me Over” from Wildcat, her mom’s only Broadway musical. She dedicated the moment to her daughter, Kate, a theatre major on the cusp of graduation: “This is me and mom, singing it to you.” It was the perfect ending to a perfect evening.”

  — New York Cool

• “I have listened to the CD and it is WONDERFUL!!! Her “labor of love” has paid off! There’s love and respect reflected in every note! AND she’s never sounded better! No wonder she’s thrilled and so proud of it!”

  — Lynn DiMenna

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