Archive for the ‘Music’ Category
Kristine Sa reBIRTH - Return of the Queen
Press Release from Bryan Lee
August 16, 2005
Summer is here! Warm weather, blockbuster movies, trips to the beach and now an even better reason to celebrate: Kristine Sa has returned with her long awaited follow up to "I Never Knew", her new album "reBIRTH". That`s right, the Queen of As-Am Pop is back and here to help you set the summer off right with hot new songs, talented new producers, banging remixes, a brand new website, and of course that warm, beautiful voice.
1. Consequence mp3
2. Take Me Somewhere mp3
3. Just Drive mp3
4. Happy mp3
Following the success of "I Never Knew", "reBIRTH" continues Kristine’s evolution as a singer, songwriter, and experimentalist. The new album is a collection of new songs, remixes and rare/never released songs tracing her music from the beginning of her career to the present. Kristine continues her music journey, conveying her evolving sense of love and life with a new musical and writing style unlike anything from her storied past. Streaming and downloadable music clips are available on her new website which also features hot new pictures, pages of new poetry, an interactive diary, and a brand new line of Kristine Sa merchandise.
Kristine Sa - http://www.kristinesa.com - A young singer/songwriter with a sultry voice of gold, Kristine has amassed a following the world over. Her music has reached fans all over the US and as far away as Taiwan, Australia and The UK. Since the release of her debut album in 2002, Kristine’s fan base has continued to grow at an astonishing rate, largely due to widespread word of mouth based on a hugely popular website and both street and internet promotions. Fans access Kristine’s music via online distribution channels such as Amazon.com, iTunes and a large network of music stores across the US. Her music has also found success in markets such as the Anime community where she has been featured in numerous major publications such as "NewType Magazine" and has performed at some of the largest events in the country such as Otakon (5,000 fans) and AnimeFest (3,000 fans). Radio has caught on as well with terrestrial as well as satellite radio both spinning Kristine’s emotional songs.
Look for Kristine Sa’s Japanese Anime remix album with labelmate DJ Jinnai (http://djjinnai.com) entitled "AnimeToonz3: Kristine Sa" to be released by Sony in October 2005. Kristine’s 3rd full length album "In My Mind" is due May 2006 on Nemesis Records.
Nemesis Records - http://www.nemesismusic.com - Nemesis Records was formed in late 1999 to produce and record music reflecting Asian pop culture both in the US and in Asia. Striving to incorporate Asian cultural elements into a western musical and visual aesthetic, the label experiments heavily to redefine popular music and to create a new sub-genre. Through music and media Nemesis aims to introduce a thriving underground scene into mainstream consciousness.
Kristine Sa is available for interview upon request. Additional information including music, bio, and pictures can be found at: http://www.kristinesa.com
Copyright 2005 Nemesis Records. All rights reserved.
F4: Fantasy 4ever
Genre: Chinese POP
CREDITS: 2002 Sony Music Entertainment (Taiwan), Ltd., Disney Enterprises Inc.
Track Listing:
- Can’t Lose You
- Season of Firework
- Love’s Terrain
- Lonely Winter
- One Fine Day
- You as a Friend
- Te Amo (Wo Ai Ni) I Love You
- Only I
- Psychological Test
- How Come It’s You
- Ask For More
- Can’t Help Falling In Love
Bonus VCD Listing:
- Can’t Lose You
- Season of Firework
Nice One!
Standard Disclaimer: I didn’t jump into the Meteor Garden bandwagon. FYI, I first saw the anime Hana Yori Dango last year, became an instant F4 fan (its animated lead characters, not the actors), and cringed in fear that our local TV stations would discover this beautiful anime, or at least its live-action version that is now known as Meteor Garden. Now, my greatest fear came alive and it did find its way into the clutches of the Philippines’ biggest network. Heh.
Hoookay…If you’ve read my earlier review of one F4 album, you’d know that I don’t exactly approve of these wonderfully gorgeous guys’ singing. So why the 8/10 rating? Yup, you guessed it. I’ve been swept away by the music videos first. I mean, let’s face it, who could resist gaping when Jerry Yen, Vic Zhou, Ken Zhu and Vaness Wu prance around your screen like some sort of male angels descended from heaven? There’s that. And you can add plus points for the fact that the instrumental accompaniments in this CD are simply beautiful. Nevermind the bad vocals. Something about the recording downplayed the rough edges on everyone’s voices so effectively that you’d actually think they can sing.
Let’s start with the carrier single, Can’t Lose You. The intro alone is very powerful. Listening to it makes you begin to think you were watching an old romantic Scottish/Celtic movie. When you hear the piano playing, ah… There go your melting knees…
Season of Firework doesn’t sound too attractive at first, but it grows on you. Especially when you listen closely to the strings, composed mainly of 1st violin, 2nd violin, viola, cello and guitar. You’d hear the same impressive strings-piano combo from the ballad Lonely Winter. Another notable cut, a personal favorite of mine, is Ask For More. I recognize this catchy ditty as the theme of the Taiwanese Pepsi commercial, where the F4 looked their absolute best. This is mainly the reason why I bought Fantasy 4ever in the first place.
You As A Friend is also a catchy track. I swear there’s something wrong with it, since F4 seem to be after a Jamaican flair that comes off sounding too fake. Nevertheless, it’s a fun song that makes you want to raise your hands in the air and gyrate your hips to the groove.
Te Amo strikes me as a Chinese version of a Carlos Agassi song. Let me just shudder before I barf completely. Good thing the next track, Only I, sounds a little more lovable as it has a cute little intro that sounds very… err… Chinese? Psychological Test, on the other hand, seems like it has been inspired by N’Sync. It’s one of my favorites, though I’ve never been an N’Sync fan.
Then there’s Can’t Help Falling In Love. Yes, Fantasy 4ever contains a Chinese remake of an old American tune popularized by Elvis Presley and redone for Disney’s Lilo and Stitch by the A*Teens. Vaness raps here, but at least he didn’t sound like Carlos Agassi this time. The guitar intro is upbeat and fun, and it makes you forget that you don’t like listening to your grand daddy’s idea of Satan’s music.
Bonus points for the extra VCD in this package, albeit they only featured two videos: Can’t Lose You and Season of Firework. I don’t think those two would be enough for any boy-crazy F4 fan, though. I mean, MyMyx’s Top Ten has at least 6 F4 videos and I’d give a million bucks to bet that it’s not the songs themselves that put those on top.
F4: Meteor Rain
Genre: Chinese POP
CREDITS: 2001 Sony Music Entertainment (Taiwan), Ltd.
Track Listing:
- Meteor Rain
- I Truly Love You
- Here We Are
- Who Made You Cry?
- Persistence for You
- At The First Place
- Got To Have You
- Everywhere
- Show Me Your Love
- The Most Special Existence
Gawd, Have Mercy!
Standard Disclaimer: I didn’t jump into the Meteor Garden bandwagon. FYI, I first saw the anime Hana Yori Dango last year, became an instant F4 fan (its animated lead characters, not the actors), and cringed in fear that our local TV stations would discover this beautiful anime, or at least its live-action version that is now known as Meteor Garden. Now, my greatest fear came alive and it did find its way into the clutches of the Philippines’ biggest network. Heh.
The only good thing that came at the wake of Meteor Garden’s phenomenal success in the Philippines is that I was able to get hold of all MG/F4-related albums. At least, I thought it was a good thing…Until I bought this particular CD and subjected my ears to unbelievable torture.
I swear, I wanted to jump up and down on the package and flush it down the toilet. The experience was that excruciating. The entire feel of the record is bleh. Like locking yourself into a room full of Jolina Magdangal paraphernalia. Que horror! The men of live-action F4 look so sinfully yummy that it’s a shame they weren’t blessed with Josh Groban’s or, at the very very least, Backstreet Boys’ talent. And I’m saying that to be polite. If that’s not bad enough, the accompanying instrumentals are equally as bleh. The carrier single, Meteor Rain, for instance, sounds like something you’d hear from a cheap karaoke bar.
Heaven save us all from the aspiring soloists in this Taiwanese boy band! As if they weren’t content with making our ears bleed with their group singing, they had to take this blasphemous display to greater heights. Each member has two solo performances to his name: I Truly Love You and Got To Have You for Jerry Yen; Here We Are and Show Me Your Love for Ken Zhu; Persistence For You and The Most Special Existence for Vic Zhou; the obviously Boyz II Men inspired Who Made You Cry? and Everywhere for Vaness Wu. The only saving grace with actual singing ability is Vaness, who, unfortunately had to destroy what little blessing there is by rapping a la Carlos Agassi in Everywhere. Talk about slow and painful death for us who truly love good music.
My advice to future F4 fans: When you watch their videos, particularly Jerry’s I Truly Love You, save yourself a lot of grief. Mute the darned thing to fully enjoy the eye candy.
Daredevil: The Album (Original Soundtrack)
Genre: Rock / Rap-Rock / Alternative
CREDITS: 2003 Wind-Up Entertainment, Inc., 2002 Twentieth Century Film Corporation, 2002 Marvel Characters, Inc.
Track Listing:
- Won’t Back Down (Fuel)
- For You (The Calling)
- Bleed For Me (Saliva)
- Hang On (Seether)
- Learn The Hard Way (Nickelback)
- The Man Without Fear (Drowning Pool feat. Rob Zombie)
- Right Now (Nappy Roots feat. Marcos Curiel of P.O.D.)
- Evening Rain (Moby)
- Bring Me To Life (Evanescence)
- Until YOu’re Reformed (Chevelle)
- Right Before Your Eyes (Hoobastank)
- Fade Out/In (Palo Alto)
- Caught In The Rain (Revis)
- High Wire Escape Artist (BOYSETSFIRE)
- Raise Your Rifles (Autopilot Off)
- Daredevil Theme Blind Justice Remix (Graeme Revell and
Mike Einziger) - My Immortal (Evanescence)
- Sad Exchange (Finger Eleven)
- Simple Lies (Endo)
- Let Go (12 Stones)
I bought the wrong CD
Yes, we all know, the movie had mixed reviews. We read negative remarks from mostly non-Daredevil fans that happened to be movie buffs and positive comments from those who had followed this Marvel superhero since their childhood days. But if there’s one thing for certain, many of us had noticed the hauntingly beautiful background music that Daredevil’s creators have woven well into the motion picture. I mean, who could miss those heartbreaking melodies that were playing when Elektra lost her dad; when she was making love to our hero; and when she was practicing her killer combos?
All the sounds in this movie are well suited to the scenarios, especially in the areas where the actions take place. They happen to enhance the experience. As a soundtrack, this CD is quite effective.
Without the movie, however, I find myself listening repeatedly to only two tracks: Bring Me To Life and My Immortal. Both tracks are performed by Evanescence, whose lead vocalist, Amy Lee, exudes the same aura as Tori Amos. I find this quite refreshing because Evanescence is a new rap-rock/goth-rock band and they’re using the kind of voice that used to be heard only in New Age music.
This is not to say that the other 18 tracks are bad. No, they aren’t. It’s just that my ears zero in on exotic combinations, which now leads me to think that I should’ve bought Evanescence: Fallen instead of this one. Well, of course, these two Evanescence tracks have been rearranged to fit Daredevil’s theme, but that’s beside the point.
In fairness, I think The Calling did pretty well with For You. The lyrics really reflect Daredevil’s double personalities, and the song itself is catchy. Another notable is Nickelback’s Learn The Hard Way and the Nappy Roots and Marcos Curiel (of P.O.D. fame) collaboration, Right Now. Sadly, I can’t name too many of them. The other items just come as a hazy blur and I doubt I’d remember them as soon as the next CD drops into my lap. Like I said, they’re not too bad. They even sound good—lyrics, tempo and style fit pretty well with what the movie wants to portray. They’re just…well…things you’ve already heard before.
Sarah Brightman: Eden
Genre: Classical, New Age
CREDITS: 1998 Nemo Studios, 1999 Angel Records
Track Listing:
- In Paradisum
- Eden
- So Many Things
- Anytime, Anywhere
- Bailero
- Dust In The Wind
- Il Mio Cuore Va
- Deliver Me
- Un Jour Il Viendra
- Nella Fantasia
- Tu
- Lascia Ch’io Pianga
- Only An Ocean Away
- Scéne D’Amour
- Nessun Dorma
- The Last Words You Said
Let me tell you about a story of how I chanced upon this glorious creature known as Sarah Brightman. Name rings a bell? Well, folks, to musicals fanatics, she is better known as Phantom of the Opera’s Christine.
I was hanging out at Tower Records, as usual, looking for new CDs to purchase when the DJ suddenly played this hauntingly soulful rendition of Dust in The Wind. This song is actually my all-time favorite. I have been in love with it ever since I was a little girl. Hearing an angel’s version of it on a nice sunny day, however, just totally blew me away. I immediately ran to the DJ’s booth and asked him frantically who the artist was. He showed me the CD cover and I asked him where I could find it. “Basement,” he said, smiling at my obvious enthusiasm, “Classicals or New Age section.”
I practically ran to the basement and, without testing the other contents of the CD first, grabbed the first copy I could get hold of and promptly purchased it. It wasn’t a disappointment.
Dust in the Wind wasn’t the only noteworthy song in the list. Much as I got tired of hearing Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On back in the height of Titanic, I was still swept off my feet by Il Mio Cuore Va. It’s not just the language difference that spelled my preference; it’s the delivery. Eden, the title track, combines Ms. Brightman’s vocals with Gregorian chants (probably one of the first projects she has done with the Masters of Chant). This is accompanied by an atmospheric background that just relaxes you.
The soft and enchanting Bailero registered my recognition of her voice. This was when I thought, “I knew her voice from somewhere. I just couldn’t place where…” It wasn’t until a friend of mine mentioned knowing her as Christine did I realize that she was the goddess who sang Angel of Music and All I Ask of You. Shame on me! I owned a Phantom of the Opera double cassette back when I was in high school but it still took me a while to place the voice!
The overall feel of the album is dreamy, soulful and relaxing. There are minor differences among tracks, but I just can’t help but feel like I’m lounging about in a fairy’s flowerbed every time I listen to this record. Sarah Brightman went beyond what we regularly know as classical music. She took it to the next level by exhibiting such incredible versatility and seamlessly merging her classical background to that of New Age.
My other recommendations: Only An Ocean Away, The Last Words You Said, So Many Things, and just about all the non-English songs in the album especially Nessun Dorma, Lascia Ch’io Pianga and Un Jour Il Viendra.
