Archive for the ‘Music’ Category
Genre: Pop, Soul R&B
Credits: 2000 Boyz II Men, Universal Music Inc.
Track Listing:
- On Bended Knee
- Doin’ Just Fine
- Please Don’t Go
- End of the Road
- It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday
- Can You Stand The Rain
- Girl in the Life Magazine
- One Sweet Day
- Four Seasons of Loneliness
- Water Runs Dry
- A Song For Mama
- I’ll Make Love To You
- I Will Get There
- Yesterday (Spanish Version)
- End of the Road
- So Amazing
Fall In Love Again
Okay, call me a closet mush, but with the recent Valentines’ Day concert that Boyz II Men held in Manila, I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. I actually found myself walking into a record bar and comparing two CDs in my hands. I was at a loss between purchasing Boyz II Men: Legacy and Boyz II Men: The Ballad Collection. Well, three extra tracks and Girl in the Life Magazine, a forever favorite, won me over.
I was never a fan of Boyz II Men in high school. I was too busy singing Wilson Philips songs back then. But in college, wow. I purchased the Evolution cassette tape as a birthday gift to a friend, borrowed it shortly, and I don’t think I ever returned it. Most of the songs in this ballad collection are actually from Evolution, the album that defined my college years…yes, including my then tumultuous love life. I cried over my ex with Four Seasons of Loneliness playing in the background and laughed over my loss with Doin’ Just Fine. Girl in the Life Magazine entertained me with its dreamy guitar and playful lyrics that tell of a man’s obsession with his dream girl who later ends up becoming his girlfriend. I just love this amusing stanza: All of my friends used to laugh / Said I was certifiably mad / ‘Till the day she came / And she blew them away / And asked me if I’d be her man / It seems that she went and fell / In love with my letters / Says she’s been looking for me / So the story ends well / We end up together / The girl in the life magazine. Aw!
The best part of this album is that not only are my favorite selections from Evolution here, but many of the songs that made them a household name are also contained in this disc. End of the Road is one of the BIIM songs that inspired many a boy band, to the point that you’d hear N’Sync or the Backstreet Boys singing this in a capella during concerts. Why is this so? Well, it’s simply because End of the Road is one of those songs wherein you’d hear the best of a singing group’s blending. Of course, nobody does it better than BIIM. You’d also get to hear Mariah Carey’s famous team-up with them in One Sweet Day. I know many people can’t stand the diva—yours truly included—but one has to admit that the girl has talent and that she chooses the best partners to perform with her during recordings.
There’s the classic On Bended Knees. If my fiancé would just sing this for me during the making up process, I know I would melt. Spanish rendition of Yesterday, anyone? This might sound like they’re riding on the Latin craze, but heck, if it’s as well sung as this, you won’t see me complaining. There’s nothing headier than hearing pure talent performing through the language of romance. The verdict? Damn! This is just so good!
Hikaru Utada: Deep River
Genre: JPop
CREDITS: 2002 Hikaru Utada, TOSHIBA-EMI
Track Listing:
- SAKURA Drops
- traveling
- Shiawase ni narou
- Deep River
- Letters
- Play Ball
- Tokyo Nights
- A.S.A.P.
- Uso Mitai Na I Love You
- FINAL DISTANCE
- Bridge (Interlude)
- Hikari
All Grown Up…
…And it’s not just because she recently got hitched. The former teeny-bopper, who gave us the melancholic First Love and made us dance to the tune of Automatic, is now a woman. While vastly different from the first album First Love, Deep River is not too far away from the atmosphere of the second album Distance. Most of the songs here are still very playful, continuing the thread that Distance started, but the entire CD itself has a newfound flavor. Deep River reflects Hikki’s maturity both as a woman and as an artist.
Let’s start off with Sakura Drops. Its slow dramatic pace and heartbreaking lyrics tell the story of love and its ups and downs. No wonder it was used for the Japanese drama First Love.
Traveling is a catchy upbeat track that doesn’t strike your fancy within first hearing, but can certainly grow on you. Soon, you’ll find yourself dancing to its rhythm. First because the words seem silly and second, it’s just as its title suggests: it makes you travel to places within your imagination.
Hikari, the last track, was used as background music for the English version of Kingdom Hearts and the opening theme for the original Japanese version of the game. For anyone who is not into videogaming, Kingdom Hearts is that popular role-playing game resulting from Disney and Squaresoft’s partnership. Who could blame these two giants for their choice of music? The song speaks of destiny, arduous journeys, and promises made in the light of hope. Perfect for an RPG! (Side note: I actually hated playing that RPG so much that I think Square and Disney are lucky they chose Hikki to do the OP theme. Hikki’s probably the only good thing I can say about it.)
Other notables are the title track itself, Deep River, a beautiful ballad that makes me think it was dedicated to her husband Kiriya Kazuaki, and Final Distance, the slower version of Distance, which we’ve first heard in the 2nd album of the same name. Final Distance is actually more soulful than its more upbeat counterpart, almost sounding like it came from a New Age album.
I enjoyed Tokyo Nights, not just because of the playful accompaniments but also because the words and rhythm itself convey a sense of adventure. Letters is probably the track that best defines Hikaru Utada’s vocal prowess, as this is where she uses her modulation techniques to the hilt. Uso Mitai Na I Love You makes use of hard rock guitar rifts, but the song title itself is almost an oxymoron, which means “A False I Love You” in English. This is arguably one of the best tracks in the album as well.
With so many lovely tracks featured in Deep River, it becomes one of those few records wherein choosing a favorite becomes a problem. Now if I can only make up my mind as to what my next “national anthem” will be. I always find it in a Hikaru Utada CD. And to think, this is an all-grown-up Hikki at her finest.
Celine: Nandito Lang Ako
Genre: POP, OPM
CREDITS: 2002 Celine, Cesar Lirio Sr., CELKOR AD
Track Listing:
- Nandito Lang Ako
- I Made It Through The Rain
- Just The Way You Are
- Please Don’t Break My Heart
- One Boy
- More Than Ever
- Hoy, Magnanakaw!
- I Want To Give It All
- Love Will Keep Us Together
- Always There
Unbridled Potential!
I’m writing an opinion for this album because a certain mischievous urge just engulfed me. I have no idea if this is still out in the Philippine market, but I got this CD courtesy of a former officemate who happens to be Celine’s brother-in-law. Bob Santiago can be seen in the credits as one of her back-up singers as well as the cover designer. The reason why I am not sure if this record is still available in the market is because I have learned about some very sensitive production issues that have never been resolved. This resulted in the pulling out of the carrier single, Nandito Lang Ako, from the airwaves.
For a debut release, it becomes apparent that Celine has a lot of unbridled potential. With Celine being a young lass not older than 15, I was taken aback with the sheer power of her voice. Match this up with her sweet, angelic face, anyone would suspect that she wouldn’t find it difficult to climb her way to the top—especially in the Philippine market where people live for the kind of killer combination that Celine possesses.
Nandito Lang Ako consists of 10 tracks, majority of which are revivals that my parents would’ve been familiar with. There’s a weakness in this record, however, and it isn’t in Celine’s cherubic voice. The selection of songs didn’t suit her too well. Perhaps it is because she needs to mature a little more, both as a person and as an artist. The effort reminds me of Jessica Simpson, when the gospel singer was introduced through a repertoire of songs characterized by pitches that were all at the extreme right of the scale. Yes, we could guess that she probably has a 5-octave range, but we need not be stuck listening only to the upper ones. Lower octaves are important too.
The accompaniments sound quite thin. The choice of instruments made me think this was recorded in Karaoke King instead of an actual studio. This much is painfully obvious in her revival of the Billy Joel hit Just The Way You Are.
Of course, Nandito Lang Ako isn’t lacking in winning material. The carrier single itself would’ve been a certified hit in a country where people are eternally in love with melodrama. Another is I Made It Through The Rain, an old Barry Manilow ballad.
I sure hope this isn’t the last I’m hearing from Celine. I would definitely love to see her grow and improve on her craft. We’ve seen it happen to other artists, why not her too?
Ayumi Hamasaki: BEST
Genre: JPop
Credits: CREDITS: 2002 Ayumi Hamasaki, Max Matsuura, AVEX Network Inc.
Track Listing:
- A Song for XX
- Trust
- Depend on you
- LOVE ~Destiny~
- TO BE
- Boys & Girls
- Trauma
- End roll
- appears
- Fly high
- vogue
- Far away
- SEASONS
- SURREAL
- M
- Who…
I must admit I was never a fan of Ayumi Hamasaki. As my cousin Firsenshi succinctly puts it, “I’d rather listen to nails scratching on a black board than hear her sing.” I hated her shrill nasal voice, especially when she hits the high notes, which is why I never understood how she became such a phenomenal success in Japan. That line of thinking began to change, however, when I heard her sing for the anime Inuyasha. Her songs Dearest and No More Words are still ear-piercing when Hamasaki gets to the high notes but they’ve somewhat mellowed and become very endearing.
Now comes Best, the only album from Avex’s most in-demand artist that I’ve dared purchase. It’s as expensive as every other JPOP CD available in stores nowadays, but all I could say is that it’s worth every penny. Why, Hamasaki-san! Have you been taking your voice lessons seriously of late? That’s the kind of aura Best gives out. Although still sounding like a little girl, Hamasaki seems to have developed a set of stronger, more powerful lungs that bring out a rich new texture in her voice. She actually knows how to modulate now, which I believe, is a tremendous improvement on her part.
Enough with my amazement at her powered-up vocal prowess, let’s move on to the tracks. Each of the 16 songs that compose Best are worthy of being used for an anime, video game, or soap opera theme. They’re that good. Sentimental. Melancholic. Inspiring. There are a few dance tunes, of course, in the form of Depend on You, Boys & Girls, Trauma, and Fly High. The rest… Ah, it’s hard to name a personal favorite, although I like her ballads most. If I were to choose a good ending theme for an anime or video game I’d select To Be, LOVE ~Destiny~, End Roll, SEASONS, and SURREAL, just to name a few. Like I said, selecting a favorite is indeed a difficult task.
Best is actually a compilation of songs from Ayumi Hamasaki’s first three albums namely: A Song for XX, LOVEppears, and Duty. It also looks like I’ll be buying the I Am… album because M, track 15 of Best, is there. I’ll just cross my fingers that the rest of I Am… would be as good as M. Now here’s a tricky question. If I have never been a fan of Ayumi before this, how come I like her songs from the first three albums when her vocal skills would still have been lacking at that time those records were released? Well, let’s just say this is like a “remake” album with better arrangements and polished technique.
Listen to the lyrics. All of them are written by Hamasaki herself. A favorite of mine would have to be Vogue for the sheer poetry of it. With intro and accompaniment that are obviously inspired by the Latin music craze, Vogue’s words sound more like a haiku than anything else. It’s fun and experimental.
Some of her songs show how much of a child Hamasaki still feels especially in A Song for XX. This is a woman who had been unsure and burdened with numerous hurdles. Now manages to exude much confidence in herself. She knows what she lacks but she also knows where she’s good at. This girl really knows what she wants to project and how she wants to be packaged. She speaks a lot about her self-discovery. It’s all seen here. If the lyrics don’t tell you that, listen to her music. Everything just spells IMPACT.
Queen of the Damned Original Soundtrack [EXPLICIT LYRICS]
Genre: Rock
CREDITS: 2002 Warner Brothers Records Inc.
Track Listing:
- Not Meant For Me (Wayne Static of Static-X)
- Forsaken (David Draiman of Disturbed)
- System (Chester Bennington of Linkin Park)
- Change (Deftones)
- Redeemer (Marilyn Manson)
- Dead Cell (Papa Roach)
- Penetrate (Godhead)
- Slept So Long (Jay Gordon of Orgy)
- Down With The Sickness (Disturbed)
- Cold-Static (X)
- Headstrong (Earshot)
- Body Crumbles (Dry Cell)
- Excess (Tricky)
- Before I’m Dead (Kidney Thieves)
Star-Studded
Okay, I’ll admit it. I’ve never been a fan of hard rock. The only times I listen to these types of music are when I drive—to keep myself awake—and when I want to maim and kill somebody. So what is a li’l ol’ Broadway and Classical Miss like me doing in giving this a perfect 10?
Well, I must commend the music geniuses behind this soundtrack because their approach is quite unique. One would expect that a horror flick like Queen of the Damned would have the usual New Age sounds that usually make movies seem eerie and gothic. They went with rock instead. Of course, it helps that the motion picture’s main character, Vampire Lestat, is supposedly working as a rock star, thus making the OST very suitable for the atmosphere.
We’ve all heard of the name Johnathan Davis (of Korn fame). His collaboration with Oingo Boingo graduate Richard Gibbs definitely produced stellar results. Although Davis doesn’t perform the OST’s songs, the task wasn’t left in unknown hands. Wayne Static of Static-X, David Draiman of Disturbed, Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, Marilyn Manson, and Jay Gordon of Orgy become the hooks that can effectively draw mainstream listeners. The excellent choice of talents don’t just stop with these well-known names, however. Even the bands that I haven’t heard of, namely Dry Cell, Earshot and Kidney Thieves, were able to add new names into my list of must-listen-to’s.
Noteworthy are the lyrics. For those of you who have read the gripping novel Queen of the Damned, you’d see a lot of Lestat’s personality in them. You can see how he taunts the undead, how his playful nature runs rings around other vampires. Take this passage from Redeemer, which is sung by Marilyn Manson: The hunger inside given to me / makes me what I am / Always it is calling me / For the blood of man / They say I cannot be this / I am jaded / hiding from the day / I can’t bear / I cannot tame the hunger in me. The other track’s words dance around this theme of blood, angst, anger, moonlight and hunger, solidifying the soundtrack’s definitive tone.
Most star-studded recording efforts don’t usually churn out satisfying outcomes, but this one is definitely not the work of someone who only has sales in mind. This is an artistic endeavor. Who would’ve guessed that a lousy B-movie like Queen of the Damned could be rescued by an incredible soundtrack?
Writer’s Note: If you’re interested in Queen of the Damned, both the award-winning novel and its disgraceful movie rendition, you might also want to take a gander up my Aaliyah review.
