Artist: Christian Bautista
Record Label: Warner Music Philippines
Released: 2008
Concept & Design: 3.8 out of 5.0
Album Material: 4.2 out of 5.0
Vocal Quality: 4.1 out of 5.0
Song Arrangements: 4.3 out of 5.0
Total Rating: 4.1 out of 5.0
Christian Bautista once again broke out of his balladeer shell to explore newer and fresher music genres in his newest album from Warner Music entitled "Captured." This certified crooner is definitely set to capture even more hearts with his latest offering.
The carrier single is reminiscent of Christian's past original hits, complete with a very soothing and catchy tune and lyrics that will surely pluck at your heartstrings. Another song with this vibe is "Creation," written by Andrew Fromm, the same mastermind behind Christian's debut hit, "The Way You Look at Me." On "Creation," however, I feel an uncertainty in Christian's voice most especially in the song's bridge. It just doesn't sound like it fit in with the rest of the song.
"Hope," the song penned by no other than Christian's brother Joshua, is surprisingly deep and meaningful for his debut composition. This song, along with "Take A Ride," "I Believe," and "Just in Time" helped Christian slowly break out of his comfort zone and take on more rock-inclined or even dark and mystical songs. These are songs that you don't usually hear being performed by Christian, but were still rendered very well.
Sadly, Christian's Tagalog songs do not give as much as oomph as their English counterparts. "Limutin Na Lang" sounds a bit too strained, and while "Nakalimutan Kong Sabihin" actually has an interesting appeal, it ends up sounding just like any other Tagalog love song.
Martin Nievera's "Forever In Your Eyes" fit Christian's vocals like a glove. It sounds just like a victor's song because of the aura given off by the tune and lyrics. And to add more power to this album's punch, Ogie Alcasid also dished in another certified hit entitled "Could Have Been the One."
One of my particular favorites is Christian's duet with Sitti bearing the same title as the album itself. "Captured" is a very light and breezy song, something you can listen to all the time while driving in the city or country. I wish there were more songs of this caliber in this album. I have to give it to Sitti though, because she really gave this song its easy-listening character.
And finally, there is no other way to end this album than with a track that has a very international ring to it. "I Want To Be the One" is a song outside of Christian's usual genres, but was delivered so well that I would welcome more songs similar to this in his future albums. Its international appeal is an assurance of the fact that Christian's talent is not only recognized in the Philippines, but also in other parts of Asia and the world.
Although I have found quite a noticeable amount of flats and sharps all over, the album still delivers well due to the laudable quality of the songs and the unique touch that Christian has added to them. I would love to hear Christian improve on those faltering notes and little nicks next time to finely polish what I consider something close to a masterpiece.
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Captured (Christian Bautista)
Charice (Charice Pempengco)
Artist: Charice Pempengco
Record Label: Star Records
Released: 2008
Concept & Design: 3.8 out of 5.0
Album Material: 4.9 out of 5.0
Vocal Quality: 4.8 out of 5.0
Song Arrangements: 4.1 out of 5.0
Total Rating: 4.4 out of 5.0
What makes a talented young singer more special is when he/she is able to bust songs and break barriers to the point that you won't even know you are listening to a child anymore. That is the key ingredient in Charice's success: she does not just sing like a child.
And that's exactly what Star Records attempted to showcase in an album that is, in all honesty, truly half-baked. A child wonder like Charice Pempengco has all sorts of fans and admirers eager to hear more from her, and a 6-track album is not the way to go.
Aside from the "tracklist diet," the album also feels a bit rushed. The song arrangements are not what you would expect from an international release, and even the instrumentals have some remnants of Charice's vocals used as effects. I find that to be sloppy and subpar. To add insult to injury, one of Charice's most famous songs, "And I Am Telling You," was not polished or even lyric-checked. I wonder if they meant to omit certain words and stick with "you're MY best mom" (instead of the more appropriate "you're THE best mom"). A slew of grammatical and diction errors can also be found scattered in certain songs. For a child like Charice who is a little deficient in the command of the English language, it would have been best to have someone help her in the enunciation of certain words. After all, Charice is an international star, thus she may have fans in the Western parts of the world.
But many of us can see through these inadequacies because of one thing: Charice possesses raw and true talent. The way she sings her Whitney Houston covers never ceases to amaze me, as it reminds me of the international music icon herself. She can easily sound a little less mature for her two other covers: "It Can Only Get Better" and "Born to Love You Forever." It is true, however, how certain fans think that the studio recording took away some of the "rawness" in Charice's voice, which is why her live performances still have a more stunning impact than the album itself.
In the end, every Charice fan may have hoped for more songs, original material, and a more polished final product, but this offering still serves as a good start for what is in store for Charice in the near future. I do hope that Star Records realizes that instrumental tracks certainly do not make up for the lack of songs in the album and that album cover designs are meant to be taken very seriously.
I still wonder up to this day whether or not Star Records meant to release the album internationally, or is this their way of satiating Charice's fans and riding the fever to gain profits? I certainly hope it isn't the second one.
Note: You can now rate the album yourself by clicking on the rating stars after every article. Express your opinion about the album with a comment as well!
A Quick Refresh
We're glad to offer a refresh of the website's design along with a couple of new reviews on the way!
We have also added a new criterion for our album review ratings, "Song Arrangements," to spread the score further. Our dear readers are also invited to share their opinion and their own ratings on the albums we review through the five-star rating system for users found after every article!
Stay tuned and thanks for checking out our website!
Arnel Pineda Rocks Chile with Journey
In his first ever public performance as the lead vocalist of Journey, Arnel Pineda receives a warm welcome from fans in Chile!
Faithfully
Open Arms, etc.
Steve Perry would rarely be missed with Arnel around. Journey has definitely found a goldmine in this pure Filipino talent! The warm reception of the band's loyal fans in Chile is a sign that true talent knows no race or country.
Congratulations and more power Arnel. Mabuhay ka!
Give it Up for Ramiele Malubay!
Another Filipina shows Pinoy pride in the international scene! Ramiele Malubay, from Miramar, Florida, auditioned for this year's American Idol. Now, she's in the Top 24 and seems to be one of the favorites!
Audition - You Make Me Feel (Like a Natural Woman)
Top 24, Week 1 - You Don't Have To Say You Love Me
Ramiele is very proud of her Filipino roots. In fact, she is not ashamed to say that her idols include our very own Regine Velasquez and Lani Misalucha!
Good luck on this year's Idol, Ramiele!
To show your love and support for Ramiele, visit her official website at http://www.ramiele.com/
Charice Pempengco Wows America
It was a glorious day for the Philippines when Charice Pempengco visited the United States to set America's ears on fire. What began as a simple YouTube video catapulted Charice to ultimate (and international) stardom.
Charice started joining singing contests on TV when she was very little. She once joined Magandang Tanghali Bayan's Bulilit Starquest singing to the most ambitious Whitney Houston or Celine Dion songs with her unbelievable vocals and child-like charm.
However, it was not until she joined Little Big Star that Charice garnered more attention. In the show, she was able to exhibit her most unique vocal prowess -- outbelting the likes of Sheryn Regis in their powerful rendition of the latter's signature song, "Come In Out of the Rain," or astounding crowds with her signature rendition of Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You." Charice was on her way to become the clear winner.
Sadly, things did not come through for Charice. She only placed third during the grand finals, trailing behind Sam Concepcion and Gian Barbarona. I was stunned. Somehow, I knew Charice was never going to be ABS-CBN's prime choice as the grand winner of the show. They are always after good looks, star quality, and all that baloney.
Charice was a victim of our society's fondness for good looks and star quality. Her unique and unbelievable talent was simply outshone by Sam Concepcion's appeal. Vocal-wise, Charice was the obvious choice, but knowing how Filipinos are more interested in "looks" compared to true talent, I was not at all flabbergasted by ABS-CBN's decision.
A year or two later, after Charice's not-so-successful stint on Little Big Star, videos of her performances during the contest started popping up on YouTube. It was the perfect timing -- Bianca Ryan, an American girl fresh from her performance of the Dreamgirls' phenomenal hit "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" in America's Got Talent started gathering attention for herself. Unique and competitive as we Filipinos can be, YouTube fans started comparing Bianca and Charice, to the point of uploading a side-by-side "versus video" of the two. This stirred more attention for Charice as her talent was being recognized by more and more people. And then, the good news finally came.
Ten Songs Productions, a recording company from Sweden, noticed Charice's unique vocal prowess on YouTube. They decided to contact her manager in the Philippines to fix a record deal with her. All was going truly well for the young diva. She flew to Stockholm to record seven songs -- four originals and three covers -- for her digital album to be released soon. Just when you thought things couldn't get any better for Charice, it does.
Soon after, Charice was invited to join a talent show in Korea entitled Star King where her performance of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" left the crowd begging for more. Since then, with the help of 'FalseVoice' of YouTube, Charice was gaining a following that was not stopping anytime soon. Her popularity as an Internet star brought her to unimaginable heights -- Charice was now unstoppable.
The video clip of Charice singing on Star King reached Americans as she was suddenly featured on E! and The Ellen Degeneres Show. Ellen invited Charice to guest on her show and perform for her viewers live. With the help of Atty. Michael Gurfinkel, Charice was brought to the United States to fulfill her dream.
Finally, on December 19, Charice set foot on Ellen's show to astound and astonish America. Her rendition of Jennifer Holliday's "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," which slowly became one of her trademark pieces, was truly effortless and jaw-dropping. Charice was on fire. After her lung-busting performance, she was in tears as she was well-recognized and lauded by the audience. Before the show ended, Charice also sang her signature song, "I Will Always Love You." She deserved the two standing ovations she was given for her wonderful performances. Charice wowed America.
All is well for Charice. Right after her guesting on Ellen's show, she met renowned producer David Foster and entertainment lawyer, Ed Shapiro, who mentioned that Charice was the 'next Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey.' Sooner or later, I will not be shocked if Charice will have to migrate to the United States to fully take advantage of the opportunities available to her. The little Filipina diva who tried her luck in a singing contest in her own motherland and unfortunately lost was slowly evolving into an international star.
In the end, what amazes me most is the sudden shift of enthusiasm in our country. Would Charice have received the same support and recognition from her countrymen had she not been featured in the United States? I am somehow disappointed by our society's uncured illness of being there only when things start to go well for somebody. Had Charice not been recognized internationally, she would have slowly drifted as a 'has-been' local artist. All it took for her to be respected, lauded, and admired by her own countrymen is "just" international recognition. Talk about high standards.
Somehow, we have not stripped our society's fondness of physical appearance over talent. We prefer the good-looking over the talented. Many Filipinos only began supporting Charice when a great, big buzz cropped up. When she performed for a foreign crowd, Charice was astounded by the admiration of the people for her -- and it was a first time for many of them to see Charice showcase her talents -- and yet they gave her the recognition she truly deserves. In an interview, Charice couldn't have spelled our society's flaws through implied comparison any better:"Hindi ko po akalain na ganito po ako tatanggapin ng mga taga-America, na hindi po nila pinansin kahit na Pinay ako, pinansin po nila ang talent ko. (I never thought that Americans will accept me like this, that they didn't care about me being a Filipino, and that they cared more about my talent.)"
Let this serve as a lesson and reminder to every Filipino that we should look beyond what we see on the outside to truly appreciate what is on the inside. We take many talented individuals in our country for granted only because they are not what we desire on the outside. Talented singers like Charice should not wait for international fame to be recognized in their own country. It is a shame to know that Charice still had to gain an international bearing and create a resounding boom to gain the attention of many Filipinos -- her very own countrymen. It is time to change and give our talented artists a fair chance.
Many thanks to FalseVoice and nythawk23 for the videos of Charice linked in this article. Don't forget to witness Charice Pempengco's powerful performances in The Ellen Degeneres Show and continue to support talented individuals like her in our country!
Mabuhay ang talentong Pinoy!
We are now OPMusikahan.com!
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Cool Change (Jaya)
Cool Change
Artist: Jaya
Record Label: GMA Records
Released: 2007
Concept & Design: 4.5 out of 5.0
Album Material: 4.7 out of 5.0
Sounds & Vocals: 4.9 out of 5.0
Total Rating: 4.7 out of 5.0
Heartfelt (Kyla)
Heartfelt
Artist: Kyla
Record Label: EMI Philippines
Released: 2007
Concept & Design: 4.8 out of 5.0
Album Material: 3.4 out of 5.0
Sounds & Vocals: 4.5 out of 5.0
Total Rating: 4.2 out of 5.0
A Little Too Perfect (Sam Milby)
A Little Too Perfect
Artist: Sam Milby
Record Label: Star Records
Released: 2007
Concept & Design: 3.9 out of 5.0
Album Material: 4.2 out of 5.0
Sounds & Vocals: 3.6 out of 5.0
Total Rating: 3.9 out of 5.0
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