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>Hidden Treats in Regine's New Album >by Rito P. Asilo > >WE have long admired Regine Velasquez as a singer. In >our book, the >multi-media star's beautiful, powerful voice and her >complete control over >her vocal instrument set her apart from the rest of >the talented pack - >nobody comes close. Back when she was dishing out >singles like "Love Me >Again" under a different first name, Chona, her >potential already piqued >our imagination. So, we weren't surprised when she >finally realized that >promise - and became the country's top female >recording artist. > >While Regine's steel-voiced contemporaries break sound >barriers - and our >poor eardrums - with lung-busting displays of shrieks >and shrills, and >talent-show winners try to mimic her signature vocal >curls, the Songbird >brings the wannabes back to earth with a simple hum, >or a tender, musical >whisper that could go higher than the stratosphere >when the need arises. > >Power and Restraint > >In her latest 15-track album, "Covers," the country's >premier pop diva >demonstrates her peerless knack for fusing power and >restraint without >sacrificing emotion and interpretation. In Fred >Areza's "Kailan," for >example, she clearly evokes more than just the thrill >of hearing a >heartfelt promise from the song's powerful lyrics, she >sucks you into a >world of emotional yearning. > >In "Covers," the adventure no longer lies in reaching >decibels that defy >sensory comprehension, although those famed birit >[high, shrill notes] >still come up in singles like Louie Ocampo and Rowena >Arrieta's "Paalam" or >in her cover of the Martin Nievera classic, "Ikaw ang >Lahat sa Akin." > >Surprisingly, the best tracks are not in the vocally >demanding numbers: >Ryan Cayabyab's "Araw Gabi," which Velasquez initially >sings in an >almost-whisper, gets a soulful rendering that is as >powerful as it is >different from Nonoy Zuņiga's original version. > >Evocative Lyrics > >Aaron del Rosario's overwhelmingly mellow "Minsan Lang >Kitang Iibigin" >doesn't get the usual bravura interpretation it gets >from singers who cover >the song, but Regine delivers the evocative lyrics >with soul-kissed vocals. > >The music of Archie Dairocas, whose unconventionally >phrased songs ("Wait") >gained immense popularity in the '90s, is wonderfully >revived in "Mahal na >Mahal Kita." True Faith fanatics won't find anything >to complain about in >the guitar-snapping, foot-tapping cover of "Perfect." > >Quiet Ballad > >Another song that deserves special mention is Raul and >Cacai Mitra's quiet >ballad, "Pangarap Ko'y Ikaw." > >Regine is comfortable with her place under the >entertainment sun, and this >sense of security is obvious as she breathes new life >into tracks more >popularly associated with their original male >interpreters, like Nievera's >"Each Day with You," Basil Valdez' "Say That You Love >Me," Side A's "Only >You," and the first track, Ogie Alcasid's "Ako'y >Iyong-Iyo." > >Accent > >She lets her hair down further by hamming it up with >Andrew E. in the Gary >V. original, "'Di Bale na Lang," where she "plays" the >role of a >love-struck woman hopelessly pining for the "dashing" >Mr. E. - she even >raps in it, although she doesn't quite pull it off >(she sounds like she's >delivering verse with a Singaporean-Chinese accent!). > >And she doesn't quite succeed in her versions of Gary >V's "Hang On" and, >ironically, in Joey Benin's "Forevermore," the theme >song of her GMA >Network telenovela, "Forever in My Heart." > >Collections > >Like Janet Jackson's albums, Regine's collections >always include special >treats hidden in between the album's tracks: > >Four minutes into "'Di Bale Na Lang" as the song fades >out, an acoustic >version of her recent hit, "Dadalhin," follows. > >Similarly, after "Paalam," the classic OPM hit, "Ang >Aking Awitin," plays >out in a beautiful duet between the Songbird and South >Border's Jay Durias. > >Oh, and did we mention that the CD also comes with a >VCD that features >music videos of songs from "Covers"? >_____

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