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A group called D’Sound has two songs in the Citylite compilation CD, Smooth Escape 2, and they could well signal the smoothing of Philippine radio into a more mellow rhythm and blues-based sound.

D’Sound’s Tattooed on My Mind and Smoother Escape have sultry, lady marmalade-type vocals, with a hint of soul reminiscent of the R&B band Soul II Soul that hit its stride in the mid-’90s.

A smoother local radio may benefit us all, though we still all have to bear with disc jockeys with the indispensable American twang, inane phone-in contests to give away the customary free tickets or CDs, and so on and so forth.

Citylite 88.3 may not be exempt from this commercial crap, but at least Smooth Escape 2 reminds us that there remains some space for quiet brooding, if occasionally verging on the muzak.

One might also be tempted to compare Smooth Escape 2 with the Hive’s own compilation CD that featured such acts as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tracy Chapman; this is all just a matter of taste, however –Citylite specializes in light jazz, the Hive in more or less conventional pop-rock.

Not having been able to listen to Smooth Escape 1, what we hear in the sequel is pleasant enough to the somewhat jaded ears.

An easy standout cut, at least one a few notches above the rest, is Like I Do Now by Chris Botti featuring former New Bohemian Edie Brickell. It can’t get any lighter than this: a meandering trumpet that could have leaked out of the ether, and Brickell’s vocals that seem to float in some translucent atmosphere.

The opening song, Where Do We Go From Here by Incognito, has moments of its own, with its unmistakable na-na-na-hey intro down to the slithering bass lines.

Ocean Drive by Lighthouse Family is trademark radio music to cruise by on a traffic-free Sunday, and should not be mistaken for Ocean Deep by Cliff Richard or How Deep is Your Love by the Bee Gees. Easy listening it is, but with a touch of class.

The appearance of David Benoit with David Pack in Any Other Time might lead one to cry, Bubblegum jazz!, yet even Benoit’s piano-playing has "matured" into what could be chewing gum, or at least a pack of pastilles.

Brian McKnight, who is set to make his second concert in the country, contributes Back at One, perhaps his best known, airwave-friendly song. McKnight as singer knows his soul and R&B basics, and he certainly comes across better than Michael "clogged nose" Bolton.

We have to thank Citylite for having the good sense to exclude from this collection any pogi points duets of Bolton and Kenny G.

There are other familiar acts represented here to keep the pop-soul cauldron simmering, like Swing Out Sister (Mama Didn’t Raise no Fool), Patti Austin (Through the Test of Time), and Shakatak (Nightbirds).

Imagine our surprise when we found that Omar Hakim is on the CD, in a duet with Nicki Richards. Hakim, former percussionist of Sting, trying his hand at jazz vocals. He follows the trend began by Narada Michael Walden, former drummer of Jeff Beck and ex-Mahavishnu Orchestra member, who also opted to go mainstream, much to the dismay of his purist fans.

Then again, even George Benson was not content with his sublime guitar playing, he had to sing as well. Louie Armstrong could not be restricted to his trumpet; he had to growl out too.

If anyone has a semblance of a voice, who’s to stop him from expressing himself?

In Smooth Escape 2, Citylite captures well the ambiance in after hours bars, with yuppies about to consume their last drink for the night, while outside the neon lights and the headlights of passing cars promise myriad things best left unsaid.