Jay-R’s 2nd album worth the wait

It took Jay-R a long time. But here finally is his second album, simply titled Jay-R. Maybe it was because thanks to the hits Bakit Pa Ba? and Kung Mahal Mo Siya, he had become so famous and in great demand for other things. Why, aside from concerts and theater, TV and movie appearances, he even got busy with modeling and endorsement jobs. I do not think there are highways around where you will not find Jay- R smiling at you out of a large billboard or in smaller posters. He posed in undies for Bench, hawked Tropicana Orange Juice, sang Colgate’s You Make Me Smile and spoke out for Sun Cellular.

But at last, he found time to enter the recording studio and was able to put together an album of 18 tracks simply titled Jay-R. There are three songs presented as bonus cuts which are commercial jingles, Sun Cellular Seasons, Tropicana Fill the Thirst and Colgate You Make Me Smile. The rest are 15 new recordings, most of them like his first one, from American composers and were produced in the US where Jay-R grew up and started his singing career.

This album is no perfunctory release that Jay-R came up with because it had already taken him so long and people might forget that he is basically a recording artist. The cuts and the production are obviously well thought out and adhere to his preferred R&B style. Particularly impressive is his hip-hop take on the Billy Joel classic, Just the Way You Are. This comes complete with his own street beat rap and is being promoted with a sexy video. It also comes in two versions, the other one a duet with young actress Samantha Mumba of Time Machine.

Most of the songs, Sexy Girl, I Got the Key, Hey Ma, Am, I’d Rather, Everything, How Many Times, Tonight and Goodbye are in the purring, seductive R&B mode where Jay-R’s black-influenced tones are put to good use. Lest we forget though, remember that Jay R’s first big sellers Bakit Pa Ba? and Kung Mahal Mo Siya were sentimental ballads written and produced by Vehnee Saturno and were in every way Filipino. Hey, those songs are proofs that we can be just as good and as commercial as the foreigners.

Of course, Jay-R made sure that Saturno has again two contributions in the new album. These are Ngayo’y Narito and Di Ko Sadya which Jay-R and Jay Durias of South Border co-produced. If the luck of the Jay-R-Vehnee combination holds out, these songs might also turn into monster hits. Another likely candidate for the local charts is Paalam, a sweet love song from DJ Mod, who if I am not mistaken is also Noel Macanaya. Surprisingly, DJ Mod, who could have rapped with Jay-R to his heart’s content chose to do a slow jive instead. This, Jay-R should keep in mind is how Pinoys like their R&B music.

Now, more about those critical second albums: Mark Bautista has come up with the Expanded Edition of his second release, Dream On. The CD Lite boasts of his big hit version of I Need You and his new single You Win the Game. It was such a success that they turned it into a full CD with 12 cuts. Aside from the original songs in the CD Lite, which also had Dream On, Lonely No More and When Will I See You Again with The Champions, there are now also, Be My Lady, How Did You Know, On Your Own, Fun and Games, And by Now, Sagot Ka and Window of My Heart, a duet with Rachelle Ann Go.

Speaking of Rachelle Ann, she is now also busy promoting her second album, I Care. This is the one that contains her new hit single, the power ballad, If You Walk Away, produced by Christian de Walden of Hollywood. For those who want to hear Rachelle Ann do the song live, she will be at SM North EDSA on Saturday, Jan. 14, SM Bacoor on Sunday, Jan. 15, SM Cebu on Saturday, Jan. 28, SM Davao on Saturday, Feb. 11 and SM Iloilo on Sunday, Feb. 12. She spent last Saturday, Jan. 7 and yesterday, Jan. 8 at SM Valenzuela and SM Fairview respectively.