Regine Velasquez...Reflections.
People who now see Songbird Regine Velasquez as stuck in Mariah Carey-mode will be reminded of how expansive her influences are in Reflections at Aliw Theater that runs until December.
Announced without funfare as Chona Velasquez (her real name), the show kicked off with Hannah Mitra and Kim Flores as Regine, the child and teen singing sensation, respectively, who was honed in several small time stints prior to discovery. "Enough Is Enough" and "Fame," with their strong statements on breaking away and making a name for oneself, set the tone for the show that affirms the dues the Songbird paid musically to get to where she is now.
Next was tribute medley to her earliest influences, Angela Boffil and Sheena Easton. Here, we get a taste of Regine minus R&B styling. Sung simply yet still with unwavering powerful voice, it proves that genre or technique are just aids she uses lately to challenge herself vocally and to keep up with trends. Even bereft of both, Regine has pipes that spellbinds.
Ditto with the Sharon Cuneta medley, all movies of whom Regine professes to have watched "because I m a big fan of Sharon and Gabby love team." No birit in sight, and far from sophisticated arrangement, people still gave hearty applause.
Regine then jumps to her recent original hit songs. Rendered with guest Jonalyn Viray, she gave a spattering of "Kailangan Ko y Ikaw," "You Made Me Stronger" and "Dadalhin." The thing with Regine is that her shows can never be spoiled or preempted just by knowledge of the repertoire. These songs were expected yet actually hearing her do these, creates the same excitement as if it s the first time.
The first real surprise in the repertoire is the Songbird s hats off to the last girl band era. In the Spice Girl medley, people see that she has a strong pulse on what mainstream is into and that she is not at all squeamish in embracing stuff most would deem unfit or, shall we say, subpar for her to do. With "Holler," "Wannabe," and "Who Do You Think You Are," she gets away with frivolity by imbuing these with the gusto of a teenager. And she raps "in Pepsi Herrera gown, no less!"
Sobering up, Regine moves on to Kuh Ledesma songs; again, another unexpected twist. Though she could ve done more of the pop songs of the latter, Regine opted for ones with cinematic feel, heavy Tagalog lyrics and complicated melodic lines that necessitated mature emotional attack.
The covert highlight of "Reflections" is Regine s take on Anita Baker s "Just Because;" a breezy ditty belied by difficult series of vocal acrobatics. Here, we finally understand why Regine sings the way she does now. "I ve always wanted to have a bigger voice," she confesses.
Thus, the predilection for R&B singing that s predisposed to earthy voices. Think Whitney Houston. And, yes, Mariah Carey.
Regine ends with showstoppers that climax one after the other. In her takes on Whitney and Mariah songs, she went straight to vocal highlights; giving one-two punches leading to the knock-out number, "Reflections." Originally done by Christina Aguilera for the movie "Mulan," Regine outdid herself by moving the key one notch higher in the end, thus, blowing the high notes right out into the universe. Standing ovation followed.
For encores, the Songbird did a medley of dance tunes by female singing icons from the 80 s as "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," "Lucky Star," "Gloria," among others. Had the crowd called out for more, we suspect that Regine would ve brought out a song by Barbra Streisand the only diva Regine did not acknowledge musically that night, yet one who has shaped her singing style immensely.
If "Reflections" aimed to channel the stages of maturity the Songbird has undergone via musical heroines, then Regine Velasquez definitely succeeds. Here, she opens the blue print of how to become a singing icon. As usual, copycats take note.
28 авг 2024
