It is a new and grown up Cris Villonco that we find in the new album A Girl Can Dream. Gone is little Cosette from the local production of Les Miserables. Gone too is the girl singing Paglaki Ko in the APEC promo video. You knew change was beginning to take place when she surfaced in those Pop Cola ads with Pinoy pop idol Billy Crawford. But the new look and the new sound still came as a surprise. Would you rather have Cris the way she was? Maybe. We all wish kids can stay the way they are. But since there is really no stopping the process, we might as well just brace ourselves for exciting possibilities.
Cris makes the transition from teeny bopper to pop princess in A Girl Can Dream. She is in the place currently inhabited by the likes of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. There are a few contenders on the local front but she seems to have the edge. She has the pedigree, being the grand child of well-known personality Armida Siguion Reyna. She has the looks being pretty in a Dresden doll sort of way. Best of all she has a voice which is clear and sure like a young Lea Salonga or Rachel Alejandro. This was what got her the role in Les Miz and it was what made listeners take notice of the inspiring Paglaki Ko.
The album is made up of assorted radio-friendly pop songs. They take Cris from dance, It’s You (The Problem is You) to ballads, A Girl Can Dream to a bit of the Manila Sound, P’wede Ba and even the very popular inspirational tune of the moment, the Jubilee Song, which she sings with Jose Mari Chan. She acquits herself very well in every cut but previous outings have shown that she is capable of more and you cannot help but wish she gets her hands on heavier stuff soon. One cannot really blame the producers for this though. They know she’ll have time enough for those later. The important thing now is to get those young listeners hooked to her music singing along with her. And the best way to do that is with songs that kids can relate to.
It’s You (The Problem is You) is the first single but I’d much rather go for A Girl Can Dream and Wish both of which really shows off her beautiful voice. Other cuts are Askin’ the Stars, Eyes Don’t Lie, I’ll Be Here to Love You, Di Inaakala and Do You Feel.
Still on videos and for those who asked: Baby Songs, the recently released series of tapes featuring a combination of songs and visuals for young children that entertain and educate at the same time, is available in most video outlets, most especially Video City.