Review: Angeline Quinto's Fall in Love Again

This review is originally posted at Philcharts.com

Angeline Quinto’s rise to stardom is one of the most interesting stories in Filipino pop music, as the frequent loser of various singing tilts finally found her success via ABS CBN’s Star Power. Her coronation single Patuloy ang Pangarap dominated the airwaves and soon followed a bunch of hits which mostly are theme songs from various TV shows and movies. Quinto’s debut album was certified platinum and is still currently charting on the sales chart of the leading record bars.

On her sophomore set “Fall in Love Again”, Quinto unleashes romantic ballads that won the hearts of Filipino music lovers. The album itself unfortunately does not offer something new but you can’t argue with the success of the formula of her first album.

“Fall in Love Again” features 15 songs which are most revivals and songs featured from various media platforms. It’s quite disappointing that Quinto is somehow being boxed as just your typical belter and singing songs people are already familiar with as Quinto’s vocals is capable of something more. The strength of her voice adds flavor to keep her revivals from going the dull, predictable route. Standouts from the album are Hulog ng Langit, I Just Fall in Love Again and the acoustic version of lead single Bakit Minamahal Kita.

Overall, “Fall in Love Again” is a great showcase that proves that Angeline Quinto’s breakout success is no fluke however the material still does not fully maximize her talent that could help establish her identity as an artist. 7 / 10

Review: Nina's Stay Alive

This is an album review I wrote for PhilCharts.com

Soul Siren Nina is entering a new phase in her career as she releases “Stay Alive” under her new label Universal Records. “Stay Alive” is a mix of club tracks, power ballads and r&b beats and is in general a departure of the acoustic covers that made the Soul Siren a top selling recording artist. One has to commend Nina’s attempt to introduce a new side of her despite the current trend in the local music industry of stripped-down covers of pop hits which she arguably help establish.

In “Stay Alive”, Nina only has two covers while the rest of the twelve-track CD are all originals. Nina offers various types of sounds in her original tracks showing the singer’s versatility as an artist. It’s quite a risky move, commercial wise, but the product is solid although the mix of different genres in one album has its disadvantages as well. For one, the album suffers a lack of cohesion and general direction as tracks shift from uptempo beats to soaring ballads that makes for an awkward listening experience. There’s no unifying factor among these tracks and it feels like it simply can’t decide it’s identity. Nevertheless, judging the individual tracks is quite a pleasure as each has its own merits and something to offer in the table.

The dance tracks are good and the lead single “Dance’” has an irresistible beat that makes for a good club banger. I personally find “Only With You” as the best uptempo song in the album as it highlights a very polished production and an insanely catchy beat. I wished Nina had more dance/upbeat songs in this album as she really showed promised in the genre. Nina’s ballads in this album are okay but there quite a few like “Missing You” and “You Should Know” that are weak and forgettable. The standout ballad in the album is the inspirational song “Believe in the Dream” where Nina not only shows her impressive vocal range but she also heightens the song’s emotion through the rawness that exudes from her vocals. It’s probably the song where Nina gave her all. Lastly, the R&B tracks are impressive and where Nina shines the best. “Stay Alive” is a groovy track that has foreign influences in its production and “Laging Ikaw” is in my opinion the best song of the album as the song shines from its Pinoy-flavored R&B arrangement with a degree of sexiness in it.

All in all, ‘Stay Alive’ is a step in the right direction for Nina’s career. The album shows the potential of Nina to grow more as an artist. Unfortunately, the effort to reinvent herself in this album is only halfhearted but the glimpses we see in this album is promising. 7 / 10

Review: Letter Day Story's Breakaway

This is a CD review I wrote for my friend Renan's website PhilCharts.com

2008 Nescafe Soundskool winner Letter Day Story continues to prove that their win was no fluke and that they are here to stay with the release of their brand new EP Breakaway under Sony Music Philippines. The quartet made first waves with their EP “Sulat, Araw, Kwento” in 2009 and followed by their full-length debut “Sama Sama” in 2010. The band’s earliest efforts were well received although it was still apparent that they still have the room to grow musically and “Breakaway” EP is showing a clear direction where the band is heading.

With 6 original tracks, Breakaway is a good pop-rock set that features well-crafted songs with expertly-handled arrangement that makes for a solid, albeit short, jam. The EP opens with the first single “Save Me” which is a midtempo rock song that highlights strong vocals. The tracks “Breakaway”,” Hinahanap” and Ikaw at Ako further express the band’s pop-rock sensibilities

But the standout tracks in the EP are “Smile” and “The Hero Within” with a deeper musical connection completed by strong lyrics. These tracks are a strong representation of the band’s maturing musicality.

With just 185 pesos Letter Day Story’s Breakaway EP is definitely worth your every centavo you’ll spend to purchase the CD. One thing though is that the EP will make you long for more songs from this band but as an appetizer this is absolutely does the job with flying colors. 9 / 10

Review: Annebisyosa

This album review is a piece I wrote for my friend Renan's website PhilCharts.com who provided the CD of this album for me to check out

Undoubtedly Anne Curtis is one of the biggest stars in the local entertainment today. With hit TV shows, blockbuster movies and several endorsements under her belt, Curtis is clearly making a mark in the industry and it’s not surprising that she’s expanding her multimedia presence with the release of her debut album Annebisyosa under Viva Records.

Like most local albums released recently, Annebisyosa went to the safe route by filling the album with revivals. Out of the album’s 8 tracks, six are revivals and two originals (one of which is actually the jingle of one of her endorsements). Eight tracks are too short for an album and I’m not sure that’s worth the 250 pesos you will shell out to purchase it. The best track is the original and lead single Tinamaan Ako which was fun to listen because of its goofy lyrics and easy-going vibe. Although Curtis sounded awkward with some of the Tagalog words in the lyrics. Unfortunately, while her revivals are not that bad overall (nothing cringeworthy) but given her limited vocal abilities and the uninspired arrangement of the tracks, her covers are just merely karaoke versions.

Unless you are really a big fan (or you want to have Anne’s autograph and picture during the promotional mall shows) there’s no strong reason to this check one out. To Anne Curtis’ credit she doesn’t take her new gig as a “singer” that seriously as evident with the tongue-in-cheek album title but for what is worth you can feel a sense of passion in her debut. But passion alone could not carry an album with mediocre song choices and run-of-the-mill production. 5 / 10