Lani Misalucha is all heart

A new album caps what must have been the headiest three years ever in the life of Lani Misalucha. There was the lead role in the lavishly staged musical Rama at Sita. There was the Metropop Song Festival where she interpreted Can't Stop Loving You, which won the Grand Prize. There were awards for Best Female Pop Performer at two music industry awards, the Awit and the Katha. There were well-received concerts and many other shows. Most of all, there was the hit album Tunay Na Mahal which struck Gold with her remake of You Don't Have to Say You Love Me.

Lani's new album is titled All Heart and this must be because the entire thing is made up of 14 love songs about love. There is unrequited love, love gone wrong, love that can never be, eternal love, love the second time around and others about love that definitely affect the heart. I would have wanted to hear Lani do a more varied repertoire in terms of themes and music styles, but she sounds so beautiful so I'll just wait for the variety to come in her future albums.

Unlike most releases by local artists these days, which as I am sure you already know, usually contains covers of old songs, All Heart has an almost all-original line-up. The three concessions to the current trend are the Bodjie Dasig Original Sana Dalawa ang Puso Ko, the Gladys Knight and the Pips number one seller from the '70s, Neither One of Us and Love Me Again, a song written by Homer Flores and which was one of Regine Velasquez's early recordings.

Also a stand out in the album is Hasta la Eternidad, a Spanish song composed by Rose del Rosario. This is just one cut but the song's inclusion suggests that local producers are beginning to check out the internationally booming Latin music market. Why not? There was a market for Spanish songs in the Philippines many years ago and although the number of Spanish speaking Filipinos keeps on decreasing day by day, the younger generation might just take a fancy to learning the language thanks to their interest in Ricky, Marc Anthony, Jennifer, Enrique and all those other Latin pop stars.

The other all original Filipino songs included are I'll Do Anything by Angel Panti; One More Time and Hanggang Kailan by Dodjie Simon; Bakit Ba Ikaw and Buhay at Pag-ibig Ko by Vehnee Saturno; Don't Love Me by Jingle Sayson-Buena; Mahal Pa Rin Kita by Ben Escasa; Hihintayin Kita by Alvina Sy, Save This Heart by Trina Belamide; and Bukas Na Lang Kita Mamahalin by Jimmy Borja.

The album's carier single in Simon's sweetly cajoling One More Time. Lani has had great luck with Dodjie. He composed her Metropop winning song, Can't Stop Loving You so some of that luck could still be hovering around and might just give Lani a new hit song.

Violinist John Lesaca sent in this reminder about the MOA with the Bureau of Immigration that champions the Filipino artist and he urges local concert producers and promoters to cooperate. AMP, the Asosasyon ng Musikong Pilipino Foundation, Inc., and OPM, the Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit are working together in cooperation with the Bureau of Immigration to protect the rights of local music artists and to professionalize the industry. These organizations are tasked with monitoring the entry into the country of foreign talents for shows.

As per a Memoramdum of Agreement signed last year concert producers are required to follow certain guidelines in order to be able to bring in foreign talents for performances. This it is hoped will provide more jobs for the locals, while the fees collected will go into the purchase of musical instruments and to provide for the emergency needs of needy artists.

This means that if no local instrumentalist is hired, the producer must pay an amount corresponding to the fee of the displaced artist to the AMP. But if a number of musicians equal to the visitors are hired, he will have to pay only a processing fee to get his working permit. As for singers, only a flat fee goes to OPM. Exempted from these are classical performers for which producers only pay for a processing fee to get the permit.

These of course, are aside from the municipal and city permits, taxes and other licenses that must be shelled out to get a concert going.