It may have been 10 years ago that the Buena Vista Social Club took to the stage of Carnegie Hall for what Spinner's Steve Hochman says was "a cultural event as much as a concert," but, he exclaims, "How fresh it sounds today!" Hochman urges readers to listen to the newly released two-disc recording of that event, captured as it was "at the height of Buena Vista-mania, the triumphant zenith of the first U.S. tour of this aggregate of veteran Cuban music legends."

He continues:

How vibrant, from the first ovation-spurring notes of "Chan Chan" through the spotlight features for such titanic singers as Ibrahim Ferrer and the Cuban jazz showcases led by pianist González. Portuondo sounds one-third of the 67 she was at the time of the recording, lilting through the bubbly "Quizas, Quizas," her voice parrying with Manuel "Guajiro" Mirabel's bright trumpet. It's every bit as revelatory as the introductory album had been and arguably even more involving for the concert setting. You can hear the joy of the performers and audience alike.

Read the complete article at spinner.com.

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The Times (UK) gives the album four stars, with reviewer David Hutcheon exclaiming that this recording of "the triumphant, embargo-busting appearance at New York's Carnegie Hall" is a sort of "farewell to the golden age of Cuban music and the local musicians who sold eight million albums 50 years after their heyday." Hutcheon concludes: "The star of the show is the pianist Rubén González, his improvisations on tracks that had featured on his own solo album clearly keeping the others on their toes; but the peerless boleros are tearjerking highlights." Read more at entertainment.timesonline.co.uk.