Let the music play

The three new CDs featured today are by artists whose names have been “on the radar” for several years now. Luke Mejares first came to our notice as the lead vocalist of South Border (Mark II); while Natalie Imbruglia was the waif-like Australian songstress we all fell in love with in 1997. And if the name Aiza Seguerra conjures up the image of a moptop moppet who horsed around with Tito Vic and  Joey, and ruled the noontime airwaves more than a decade ago, expect a very pleasant surprise as she reinvents herself as a formidable acoustic artist.

Pangako: Luke Mejares (Sony BMG). Now firmly entrenched in his solo career, Pangako is Luke Mejares’ latest offering, and it’s a fine reminder of just how “sweet as liquid honey” Luke’s voice can be. It’s in fine fettle and it really sounds like he has been working on it over the last years. There’s vocal supervision by Thor (another one with a fine R ’n B voice, but who has been largely ignored), and Luke’s  slipping to falsetto has never sounded better. I especially liked the track Pangako Yan. Along with Yakap Yakap, they sound very much like they could have been in Luke’s repertoire during his heydays with South Border. With his cover of Eddie Katindig’s I Will Always Stay This Way in Love with You, Luke dabbles into crossover jazz. This is slow burn R ’n B balladry, Philippine version, at its best.

Glorious, the Singles 97-07: Natalie Imbruglia (Sony BMG). If you say Australian female pop vocalists, I’ll always think Kylie Minogue and Natalie Imbruglia. Kylie will be pure pop, while Natalie will be the one who flirts with alternative and rock-like influences. The summer of 1997 will always mean the video Torn and it’s naturally one of the highlights of the compilation CD. Wrong Impression and Shiver are here as well; and just to show that Natalie hasn’t been a slouch and isn’t just resting on her laurels, a spanking brand new track, Glorious, opens the CD. There are three other new tracks, all from a forthcoming CD, and while a couple didn’t really work for me, the good ones do show that Natalie still has very much to offer.

Para Lang Sa Yo: Aiza Seguerra (Star Records). This is a collection of songs inspired by the teleserye Ysabella, and I may not be a nightly viewer of the TV show, but am just happy the CD came to life. I caught Aiza, acoustic guitar in hand, singing Someone To Watch Over Me on Eat, Bulaga! a few years back, and felt she was a major talent who just wasn’t getting the right notices as a singer/songwriter. Hopefully, the CD will go some way in rectifying that. There’s a cover of a Martin Nievera/Louie Ocampo standard, and a number of thoughtfully selected Tagalog ballads. In fact, if I have one reservation, it would be that the CD is, too, ballad-driven and doesn’t exhibit her wonderful choice of rearranged covers that you’ll discover if you catch her live act. Hers is a voice we describe as “ang lamig” in a good way.