Christmas divas

Expect the birth of a future Christmas classic or two this year. This or these will come from Your Christmas Girl, the first Yuletide album by Sarah Geronimo. The album is a mix of the usual Christmas tunes that we get every year. But I was glad to find three new originals with the promise of joining our list of Christmas perennials.

The new songs are all light ballads with just the right bittersweet sentiments that for some strange reason, Pinoys like in their Christmas music. Two of these are Your Christmas Girl by the Nashville-based Jimmy Borja and Margaret Harris and Gift of Love, also by Borja with Lori Barth. Borja also composed the Ariel Rivera hit, Sana Ngayong Pasko, which Sarah covers in the CD. The third song is Christmas Wish by Jay Montelibano-McLeod.

What makes the songs very special is the way Sarah sings them. It is with a sense of wonder of someone who can still believe in the magic of Christmas. This is also particularly evident in the Jackson Five covers, Little Christmas Tree and Give Love On Christmas Day. Her White Christmas bounces along merrily and this is the first version I heard of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas that is devoid of sadness and is just a heartfelt greeting for the Season.

Sarah’s Christmas Girl was produced by Christian De Walden, who also did her current hit single Dahil Minahal Mo Ako. Also included in the CD are You’re All I Want For Christmas, Pasko Na Sinta Ko, Christmas Through Your Eyes, Perfect Christmas, I’ll Be Home For Christmas, Miss Kita Kung Christmas and Miss You Most At Christmas Time.

It was also De Walden who produced The Christmas Album by Claire dela Fuente. This is the CD, which contains The Christmas Song, the much-talked about duet of the pop star from the ‘70s with blue-eyed soul heartthrob Michael Bolton. Nobody is surprised that this collaboration has become big news. Bolton after all is one of the biggest names in pop music and we should all be proud that a Filipino artist got the chance to sing with him.

Claire’s CD leans towards the more traditional stuff. She has carols like O Come All Ye Faithful, O Holy Night, Mary’s Boy Child and Silent Night. The others are contemporary classics White Christmas, I’ll Be Home For Christmas Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, Winter Wonderland and You’re All I Want For Christmas.

Among these too are three originals by famous Filipino composers. These are Sa Pagdating Ng Pasko again by Borja; Kahit Ilang Pasko by Cecile Azarcon and Sana Sa Paskong Ito by Vehnee Saturno. All these are of the broken-hearted sort usually found in Pinoy compositions for Christmas but Claire’s pop style lightens the mood and hints of Christmas cheer behind the pain of heartbreak.

Incidentally, some songs from Christmas Girl will be among the highlights of Sarah’s Record Breaker concert. This will be held at the Araneta Coliseum on Nov. 7. This is Sarah’s third solo show at the Big Dome. Previous concerts were The Other Side of Sarah and The Next One. Of course she is expected to once more pack the place like she did before.

Tickets to Record Breaker are available at all SM TicketNet outlets (tel. no. 911-5555). Prices are P3,150, Patron A; P2,625, Patron B; P2,625, Lower Box; P1,250, Upper Box A; P630, Upper Box B; and P315, General Admission.

Claire also has a concert coming up. This is Simply Unforgettable where she is paired with Jose Mari Chan at the Sky Dome in SM City EDSA on Nov. 13 and 28. Expect this to be an evening of truly unforgettable love songs. And because Jose Mari has Christmas In Our Hearts, one of the most enduring Yuletide albums in local pop music history, there will surely be a Christmas number or two from him and Claire.

Tickets to Simply Unforgettable are also available at all SM TicketNet outlets. Prices are P2,000 for Gold reserved seats; P1,500, Silver; and P1,000, Bronze.

For details, call 687-5853.