Category Archives: Music

BABY SPICE, Please Don’t Stop: Emma Bunton, What Took You So Long?

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Two months from now, the Spice Girls – the most successful girl group in the world- is set to reunite as a four-piece (minus my favorite Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham).

Emma Bunton releases her 4th album – My Happy Place!



A few weeks ago, Emma Bunton a.k.a. Baby Spice released a new single entitled “Baby Please Don’t Stop”. Of course, I am happy because to be honest, she has the voice of an angel. I also love it whenever she harmonizes with Victoria or Melanie B in their tracks. That sweet, soothing voice of hers must be heard more.


When the Spice Girls disbanded, most fans (and haters) tracked on which among the Spice Girls will succeed as solo artists. Twenty years after, they now have their own families, pursue other passion projects and have a fair share of controversy.

I am a fan of Emma Bunton’s solo work as a singer especially with her sophomore album ‘Free Me’. This album was released when the Bossa Nova hype is just starting. Sadly, I don’t think the album reached Southeast Asia. Only true fans know the promotional singles which I think did well in the UK and other parts of Europe.

Actually, ‘Free Me’ is one of the albums included in my ‘productivity playlist’. I just listen to some songs and before you know it, I’ve written a full blog post already (which is a struggle sometimes).


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The Underrated ‘Liberation’ album of Christina Aguilera

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In case you didn’t know, Christina Aguilera released an album last year called ‘Liberation‘.

You’re not aware of it? I can’t blame you. I’ve never heard her song played on local radio here in the Philippines and that is such a downer. It’s been more than five years since she released the ‘Lotus’ album, which featured the songs like ‘Your Body’, ‘Just a Fool’ and ‘Let There Be Love’.

Christina Aguilera

You also don’t know these songs? I can’t blame you again!

This is the reason why I am sad with what happened to Christina Aguilera’s mainstream chart performance. I remember buying her first album when I was in sixth grade and automatically made her my ‘replacement’ to my Spice Girls addiction. Although I also dig Britney Spears, Mandy Moore and Jessica Simpson, there was something in Christina Aguilera that I really liked – she’s pretty, a good dancer, a fighter from the very start and yes, she is a good singer. No lipsyncing allowed!

I have memories of singing and dancing ‘Genie in a Bottle’, ‘Come on Over’ and ‘What a Girl Wants’ for school programs. I also dedicated the song ‘I Turn to You’ to my father when he arrived home from somewhere I don’t want to disclose and he cried. He tear up again when I tempted to belt out the high notes of the bridge of the song. Why did I even try?

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6 songs that remind me of summer!

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Summer means beach, holiday and good times with friends in Clearwater, where the sun brightens our days and the Gulf waters cool our nights. In this season of joy, there’s a quiet but essential service working in the background – the fire watch services in Clearwater. They’re the ones ensuring that our good times remain safe, that the heat doesn’t turn into a fire hazard, and that our properties are protected while we soak up the sunshine. Before I dive into summer time, I make sure about 2 things; finding cheap holidays with diligent searches for the best deals online using coupons, just as the fire watch professionals make sure about their equipment and protocols to keep the city safe. And of course, there’s good music – the soundtrack of our summer. Just as we meticulously create a list of summer songs, these unsung heroes meticulously monitor every corner of our community, making our enjoyment of the season carefree and secured.

Mi-Chico-Lation-Shoot-geri-halliwell

Geri Halliwell Mi Chico Latino photo shoot

1. Mi Chico Latino by Geri Halliwell

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgoKfHg1JsU&w=560&h=315]

Take me back to my sweet la vida…
Find my love, my dolce vita…

Geri Halliwell is my second favorite Spice Girl and the album Schizophonic didn’t disappoint! Mi Chico Latino is the song in the record that serves as a tribute to her Spanish roots. I was twelve years old when the video for the song came out and I was determined to have such body when I turn 18. Well, I think I kind of did when I reached that stage Don’t ask me now 😛

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Album Review: Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande

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ariana-grande-dangerous-woman-album

While Ari’s latex bunny mask on her record’s artwork could be best described as Happy Tree Friends meets 50 Shades of Grey, Dangerous Woman makes up for the gimmicky cover by giving us a performance that tops her last two albums Yours Truly (2012) and My Everything (2014). Although a predominantly pop album, Dangerous Woman also incorporates R&B influences throughout the record and is ultimately Grande coming to terms with her sound and her maturity as an artist.

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Album Review: ANTI by Rihanna

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Three long years has passed since badgal Riri released her last album Unapologetic in 2012. Following a slew of unrelated “releases” to fill the gaps in-between (none of which even made the cut), the pressure was on to make the comeback album that everyone had been waiting for—but was it really worth the wait?

Rihanna's much-awaited comeback album 'ANTI'

Rihanna’s much-awaited comeback album ‘ANTI’

At a glance, ANTI lacks the theme and shock value her previous albums had. It wasn’t studded with bubblegum pop hits like Good Girl Gone Bad, possessed the raunchy playfulness of Loud or the commercial marketability of Talk That Talk. However, Rihanna manages to stick to her roots and incorporate dancehall and the occasional patois, as she did with “Rude Boy” on her 2009 album Rated R—which is possibly one of the redeeming factors of ANTI.

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Love Never Felt So Good!

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Almost five years after the King of Pop Michael Jackson passed away, a new album suddenly emerged on iTunes.

[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG08ukJPtR8&w=560&h=315]

Simply called ‘Xscape‘, the ‘new’ album showcases some unheard and unreleased tracks that was customized by collaborators. It is such a joy to discover that a collaboration between Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake happened. Among the male popstars today, I think only Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars are worth tagging as the ‘Prince of Pop’.

This feel-good song originally recorded in 1983 (I wasn’t born yet!) made me smile and dance when I heard it for the first time. The power of a true artist is so strong and it is just unbelievable that hearing MJ’s voice automatically puts every fan in a positive mood.

I have another reason to be happy with this new release. Lalala Love never felt soooo goood! 😀

Sorry for this very short post. I still have some backlogs to work on related to my birthday and other important things, but I am just too eager to share this one! 😀

My Top 5 Favorite Yeng Constantino Hits

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One of the challenges faced by graduates of reality-based singing contest is longevity. The viewers may root for you during the contest duration, but album and concert tickets sale determines if you’re bound to stay long in the business or be tagged as a ‘one hit wonder’.

ASAP-Yeng

Photo grabbed from Yeng Constantino’s Facebook page

Yeng Constantino is one of the very few reality-based singing contest winner who continues to shine as time passes by. Crowned as the ‘Grand Star Dreamer’ of Pinoy Dream Academy in 2006, the Rock Princess has produced five albums to date. Her debut album ‘Salamat’ reached “3x Platinum Record” and it featured her signature songs ‘Salamat’, ‘Hawak Kamay’, Time In’, Cool Off’, ‘Pangarap Lang and ‘If We Fall in Love’. The lovely part there is she wrote 7 out of 10 songs!

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Why I Love Jessie J’s ALIVE album

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Jessie J is truly one of the most talented artists from the United Kingdom. My curiosity about this woman started when I first saw the music video for “Do It Like a Dude”. This girl is fearless, unique and she can definitely sing! Her first single is one of the songs that you’d sing if you want to feel extra confident or have that ‘swag’ feel in an instant.

I Love Jessie J - with or without the hair! :P

I Love Jessie J – with or without the hair! 😛

Later on, she released the worldwide hit ‘Price Tag’ and elevated her status from a newbie to a top-selling artist. When her prolonged debut album “Who You Are” was finally released, the fans went mental and sang her songs with passion. Some of the singles released include Nobody’s Perfect, Who’s Laughing Now, Who You Are, Domino and Laser Light.

Jessie J gained more followers after her exposure as a resident judge in The Voice UK. She may have this angsty image at first, but she was able to show the public how sweet and endearing she is in person.

Her sophomore album ‘ALIVE’ was released last September in the UK. Prior to the official launch, I got the chance to listen to some of the songs like Wild, Hero, Magnetic, Excuse My Rude and It’s My Party. The last song I mentioned is very special to me. In fact, it is one of the songs that I’ve memorized in 30 minutes! Too bad I still can’t reveal why… but soon you will know why 🙂

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For Once in My Life by Mel B

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Melanie Brown a.k.a. Mel B is one of my childhood heroes. I do think that her Scary Spice persona is still evidently seen in her recent gig as judge of America’s Got Talent. She is fearless, talented and surpassed a lot of trials in her career and even personal life.

 

For Once In My Life by Mel B

For Once In My Life by Mel B

 

I loved her debut album “HOT” (1999). Her sophomore album “LA State of Mind” had very minimal publicity and the copies of the album are scarce. Imagine how happy I was (and I bet other Spice Girls fans were!) when she all of a sudden announced her new single called “For Once In My Life” via PerezHilton’s website. Woah, this is madness!

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SOS by Solenn Heussaff – An Album Review

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I’ve blogged about Solenn Heussaff a couple of times. I just love this girl!

Just two months ago, the French-Filipina celebrity launched her sophomore album entitled ‘SOS’ or ‘Sinner Or Saint’. Her first album was a success. I was even invited on the music video shoot for the song ‘Our First Time’. Her kindness and jolly personality stuck on my mind. Who wouldn’t want to support her anyway?

Is Solenn Heussaff a Sinner or Saint?

Is Solenn Heussaff a Sinner or Saint?

I bought a digital copy of SOS via iTunes. I listened to the preview snippets and I loved it!

SOS contains 10 original tracks and 2 revivals. Boy band fanatics have the reason to dance with her own version of Backstreet Boys’ “All I Have to Gove” and Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River”.

[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C50rGIJLc2U&w=420&h=315]

The carrier single from the album is entitled “Diva”. It is a tagalog song about a female celebrity who acts as if she’s the most important woman in the world. The music video is quite queer and colorful! Another song with a twist is “Never Met a Man”, which Solenn co-wrote.

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