THE MEGASTAR IN HER ELEMENT
by Fred Samantela, Philippine Daily Inquirer, May 4, 2001

IT is fitting that beautiful things surround someone called Megastar.

The ballroom of Country Waffles in Greenhills is gilded in gold and has an impressive painting on the ceiling of a 15^th century French landscape.

Clusters of dried flowers hang like chandeliers. On each table are potpourri centerpieces made of more dried flowers with candle stands dressed as topiaries.

But lunch has been over and Sharon is unusually late for her press conference. A taping the night before or an extended stay at the salon?

After a few hours, she finally arrives, fresh and dressed to the nines. She heads straight for the group of press people and immediately starts answering questions to make up for her tardiness, for which she also apologizes. After a few minutes, the show is off and running.

The affair launches her album "Nothing I Want More," which is, hold your breath, all-retro, a collection of well selected hits from the ‘80s.

Sharon starts off with "He’s Out of My Life," a Michael Jackson original suggested by her producer, Baby Gil.

It is good news that Sharon has done an easy-listening pop album that doesn’t require the usual grandiose movie-theme arrangements. She has done a couple of pop albums before but these were smothered by succeeding recordings of movie theme songs.

Sharon next sings "Please Don’t Ask Me" by John Farnham, a hit here from an obscure artist in the ‘80s. She follows it up with the theme from the movie "The Promise," which we are told is special to Sharon.

There is a show-stopping Barry Manilow medley of "Even Now" and "Somewhere Down The Road." I cannot imagine Manilow’s songs arranged in another manner.

Sharon last sings the single "Nothing I Want More," first recorded by Eugene Villaluz and Louie Reyes for the Metropop.

Pop singing requires a different technique and Sharon is well aware of this. In this album, she restrained herself and it worked.

Technically, the album is well produced. It took one year to finish, mainly because only one arranger was privileged to handle it, to maintain the style and the recording quality. That’s how concept albums go.

The rest of the album goes Top 40s with "Careless Whisper" by Wham, "Don’t Forget Me" by Toni Tenille, "Maybe" by Roberta Flack, "Overjoyed" by Stevie Wonder and "Smile Again" by Manhattan Transfer.

I personally like "Careless Whisper" because it is pop/rock. But this is a difficult song for a ballad singer. So is "Overjoyed."

I also like "Don’t Forget Me," "Smile Again" and "Maybe."

The album is radio-friendly and will widen her A-B market.

Sharon is in her element in this album.