More hits from Duets - SOUNDS FAMILIAR by Baby A. Gil

If all karaoke singers sound as good as they do in the Duets soundtrack, a lot of recording artists these days will surely be out of work. The road-trip comedy about the people who frequent sing along joints did not turn out to be one of Gwyneth Paltrow’s huge box-office successes but it did produce a big selling soundtrack and made a hitmaker out of the Academy Award winning actress.

Directed by Gwyneth’s father Bruce, Duets tells the story of six strangers with disparate lives whose one thing in common is their passion for performing in karaoke contests. Huey Lewis, frontman of the News is a hustler who makes his living out of these. Gwyneth is a Vegas showgirl who loses her mother then gains her lost father. Marina Bello drifts from karaoke bar to karaoke bar basking in the small time celebrity. Scott Speedman is a seminarian turned cab driver who likes to sing. Andre Braugher is an ex-con with a beautiful voice. Paul Giamatti is a salesman who finds respite from his daily grind in singing.

These lives come together when they compete at the $5000 Grand Prize Karaoke Contest in Omaha, Nebraska. Who wins is immaterial in the story but it is on their way to the contest that their lives come together. There they find themselves, love, friendship, pieces of stardom or just another human being who can empathize with their obsession for those magic moments when briefly they turn into singing stars.

Out of this plot emerged a hit soundtrack that turned out to be more enduring than the movie. The reason why is pretty obvious. Duets sells because it is a collection of old songs, which are what they sing in karaoke contests. And as we all know, music lovers are suckers for old song. Included in the album are probably the most performed songs in karaoke joints across Middle America and which are hits from the last five decades.

Cruisin’, the Smokey Robinson classic recorded as a duet by Paltrow and rock star Huey Lewis, who plays her father in the movie initially came across as some novelty item. Interesting because it offers Paltrow as a singer and an older and more bluesy sounding Lewis. But the new cover caught fire among younger listeners who instantly fell for the easy rhythm of the song even if they have never heard of the original by the Motown star.

Many thought a few months back that Cruisin’ is it. After that single, Duets will now descend to oblivion as just another one-hit soundtrack. But wait, here comes Gwyneth again with another single from the album, Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me). It is another soul standard popularized by the Temptations, another Motown act. This time around though she is singing with Babyface, who also produced the cut. Gwyneth has the kind of breathy style usually found among non-singers who try to sing but it is sweet and she is singing with The Face. Then of course, you know that Babyface has quite a way with songs and this one has the ample coattails of Cruisin’ to ride on.

Now, just in case, you’ve held off until now getting a copy of the Duets soundtrack, this is the time to reconsider. Aside from Cruisin’ and Just My Imagination, you will also be getting, Feeling Alright and Lonely Teardrops by Lewis, Bette Davis Eyes by Gwyneth, Try a Little Tenderness by Paul Giamatti and Arnold McCuller, Hello, It’s Me by Giamatti, I Can’t Make You Love Me and Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Maria Bello, Copacabana by John Pinette, Free Bird by McCuller and the Duets theme Beginnings/Endings from the score by David Newman.

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It is the season of romance and Wiseguys, the most popular boy group in the country today, will pay tribute to lovers with a series of Valentine shows. The group will be performing at Chatterbox on West Avenue on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 10 in the evening and at Chatterbox in Robinson’s Galleria on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at the same time. Jam, Guy, Jay and Paul will perform their hit songs, Sabi Mo, Kwago, Fallin’, First Time I Saw You, plus well-loved standards like I Swear, You Make Me Feel Brand New, Forever, On Bended Knees, If You’re Not Here and many others.