Falling in Love with Rachelle Ann

Rachelle Ann Go balked upon being asked to record Feelings, the Morris Albert composition that became a monster hit during the late ’70s for her new album. The song was just too big, too phenomenal in sales and popularity that there came a point when people just refused to listen to Feelings anymore. That was also the reason why the song became the butt of jokes worldwide. People said they found its simple lyrics corny. You know how it goes, Feelings, nothing more than feelings, and its inane unrealistic sentiments. Truth to tell, Rachelle Ann’s bakit ‘yon reaction had already been heard and will surely be heard again many times in the future even from singers who only know the song by its reputation.

But it can never be denied that Feelings is a beautiful song and deserves to be heard again and again through the ages. Maganda pala, was Rachelle Ann’s reaction after listening to the song. And indeed it is. Once you get into the emotions expressed in the song and realize that it is about the tidal wave of feelings that comes with being in love, you really get to appreciate Feelings. As a result Feelings became one of the cuts now included in Rachelle Ann’s new album Falling in Love. The CD is made up of beautiful songs and Feelings truly deserves a place in a collection like that.

Falling in Love is not about a particular era. The songs do not come from a specific genre. What the cuts have in common is that they are old songs about love, happy and ecstatic one moment, then sad and broken-hearted in another. Rachelle Ann does them well. This girl is probably the most versatile young singer around, one of the few who can go from rock to R&B to heart-wrenching ballads without missing a beat and sound good in every way. Remember, her last release was the live-recorded Rachelle Ann Rocks. Now Falling in Love has opened new doors for her and it is the kind that leads to a long, successful career.

Aside from Feelings, Falling in Love also includes If by Bread; Of All the Things by Dennis Lambert; I’ll Always Love You by Taylor Dayne; Somebody Waiting by Karen Wyman; I Got Caught Dancing Again by the Hues Corporation; If You Don’t Know Me By Now originally by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes but now better known as a hit by Simply Red; Didn’t We by Jim Webb; Let the Pain Remain, a Willy Cruz composition popularized by Basil Valdez; Traces by The Classics IV, which was also successfully covered by the Lettermen; This Time I’ll Be Sweeter by Angela Bofill; You and Me Against the World by Helen Reddy; You and I by Petula Clark from the motion picture Goodbye Mr. Chips; and the Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart composition All the Things You Are, which is so old and and also so beautiful and has been recorded and performed by so many singers in the past 70 or 80 years.

Just like the songs it contains, Falling in Love is a beautiful album. It is the kind you can listen to all the time. But it is also a fact that this is another album of covers. That is all that our singers seem to be recording at the moment. Sharon Cuneta, Martin Nievera, Regine Velasquez, Lani Misalucha and so many of the local big names have embarked on the oldies bandwagon. The CDs sound great. They sell a lot of copies. They keep the music industry alive during difficult times. Still I find it disheartening that this is the lifeline we have latched on to. And pity those who would be recording 20 or more years from now. They will have very few songs to cover from this era because we have stopped making new hits.

Some that they might find worthy of being revived are the titles in this week’s Pinoy MYX countdown of top videos. Take note though that several of them are also cover versions. You Changed My Life by Sarah Geronimo; Hintay by Callalily; Heart to Heart by Kyla; Di Na Mababawi by Sponge Cola; Senti by Moonstar88; Old Friend by Kyla; And I Love You So by Regine Velasquez; If You’re Not the One by Nikki Gil; Lifeline by Kjwan; Tayong Dalawa by Gary Valenciano.

Your Universe by Rico Blanco; Ibrahim by Wolfgang; Gusto Ko Lamang Sa Buhay by Itchyworms; FX by Pedicab; Blue Monday by Miguel Escueta; Igiling by Janno Gibbs; Softly Saying Sorry by Ariel Rivera; Rendezvous by Dice & K9 Mobbstar; There You’ll Be by Nina; and Last Day on a Cruise Ship by Bamboo.