SHARON DOES RETRO BALLADS FOR THE INCURABLY ROMANTIC
by Leah Salterio, Philippine Daily Inquirer, July 27, 2001
AM A "SHARONIAN" at heart. If some of you find that baduy,
I don't even care.
I spent my high school and college life listening to Sharon's hits.
And up to now, I can still vividly remember the famous and now-classic
lines from her hit movies.
Back then when I first heard the strains of Sharon's first big hit,
"Mr. DJ," written by the prolific Rey Valera, I sang and memorized
the Tagalog ditty.
I am a frustrated singer. But at I.O., the only place where I can
belt out a tune (much to the chagrin of my friends), I would choose
Sharon's songs like "Sana'y Wala Nang Wakas," "Friend of Mine" and
"Ikaw." My favorite, though, is "Sana'y Maghintay ang Walang Hanggan,"
which, sad to say, can't be found in any sing-along venue.
I sat on the front row of the theater-with all my seven other high
school friends-on the first hour of the first day of showing of
Sharon's movie debut, "Dear Heart," with her erstwhile hubby Gabby
Concepcion. It was a full house. That's why we were left with no
seats but on the front row. The success of the movie signaled Sharon's
reputation as a box-office star.
Since then, I have faithfully followed Sharon's career. I have kept
abreast with every major turn in her life, both personal and professional.
I sympathized with her heartbreaks and her career's ups and downs.
I'm far from being a fanatic, but I never missed a Sharon Cuneta
flick. And even now on cable TV, I never get tired of watching her
romantic starrers.
Just last month, when Cinema One premiered "Minsan Minahal Kita"
on SkyCable, I cried again even after I had seen the film twice.
"You made me believe," Sharon tells her costar Richard Gomez in
a scene in their Tagaytay rendezvous after she learned of their
botched plan to elope to the United States. The scene was a real
three-hankie weepie.
More than the Sharon-Gabby movies, I am super thrilled in seeing
a Sharon-Richard flick onscreen. I even bought the paperback version
of "Minsan Minahal Kita," translated by KC Cordero and Ofelia Concepcion.
It has been more than a year since Sharon was last seen on the big
screen. She was sidelined from acting when she got pregnant. And
although there are projects lined up for her, she has yet to start
filming any movie since she's determined to shed off those excess
pounds after giving birth to baby Frankie.
But to compensate for her absence from the big screen, Sharon treats her fans to a new album of retro tunes, "Nothing I Want More."
The album took a little over a year to complete. In the inside front cover, Sharon wrote that she started recording it when she was trying to lose weight and praying for a baby. At that time, she was also filming "Minsan Minahal Kita."
However, two months after her movie with Richard was shown and she had achieved her ideal weight, Sharon found out she was pregnant. Then came the tragedy in her life when her dad, former Pasay City Mayor Pablo Cuneta, passed away.
She managed to complete work on the album early this year, after giving birth to Frankie in December.
"And what you have in your hands is the outcome of a most memorable year in my life," Sharon said.
"Nothing I Want More" is Sharon's first album in four years after she released "Mega Up Close" in 1997. But in her new album, Sharon is more adventurous in the arrangement and vocal rendition of songs. While all of the tracks were arranged by Homer Flores, Sharon has a slew of vocal arrangers who worked with her on the album, including Louie Reyes, The Company's Moy Ortiz and The Opera's Sushi Reyes.
Sharon takes her listeners to a nostalgic and romantic trip through the album. The retro mood is set with the opening cut, title track and carrier single, "Nothing I Want More," which is a revival of a Tillie Moreno-Eugene Villaluz duet.
Sharon sings tunes recorded mostly by male artists and that's another challenge for her. Who would have thought that a female recording artist would dare croon pop hits by international male singers?
Sharon renders near-flawless takes on George Michael's "Careless Whisper," Michael Jackson's "(She's) He's Out of My Life," Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed" and John Farnham's "Please Don't Ask Me."
She displays her vocal prowess in the medley of Barry Manilow's "Even Now" and "Somewhere Down the Road," and the result is simply brilliant.
The Manhattan Transfer's "Smile Again" has been given a novel touch, laced with an ample dose of backup vocals.
"Maybe" was originally a duet by Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack, but Sharon goes solo in the beautiful composition of Burt Bacharach.
She also does an upbeat take on "Don't Forget Me," far from the slow version she rendered several years back in "The Sharon Cuneta Show."
If we remember right, Sharon even cried buckets when she sang "Don't Forget Me" back then (because of Gabby?).
Sharon recorded "The Promise" again, which she earlier did in "Mega Up Close." But never mind, the song is also one of my big favorites, so I welcome its addition to "Nothing I Want More."
As most everyone probably knows, "The Promise" is the theme song of Sharon and her hubby, Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan. So let's give it to Sharon for re-recording the popular romantic ballad.
Sharon offers a smooth slice of inspirational music with the revival of Basil Valdez's "Lift Up Your Hands." That's another ditty originally by a male singer here.
The tracks for "Nothing I Want More" are all glorious ballads and if you're an incurable romantic, the songs can make you pause and reflect on a present or previous romance or dalliances. The songs can make you smile, cry or simply feel romantic.
Here's bad news to album pirates. Sharon's CD veers away from the conventional packaging and comes in a specially designed crosswise notebook-like cover which is simply tough to copy. The album cover has also been made as the home page of Sharon's website.
"Nothing I Want More" has reached the platinum record mark-proof of Sharon's popularity as a recording artist. Very few performers can achieve success both in singing and acting. And Sharon makes it to the short list of names.
We leave the verdict to the music critics. But "Nothing I Want More" is an album of beautiful songs, which you won't get tired of listening to, whether you're at home, in the car or at work.
