Gary V. and Kyla’s duet a hit

This bit of good news just proves that a beautiful song will always appeal to listeners no matter what the times and no matter how old a song is as long as it gets the right new treatment. Can We Just Stop and Talk a While is a hit again. The song composed and originally interpreted by Jose Mari Chan was a phenomenal seller way back during the mid-’70s. It was revived recently by Gary Valenciano as a duet with pop artist Kyla in the album One 2 One. Kids who have no idea at all where the song came from and that it is over 20 years old instantly took to the new pop arrange-ment by Jimmy Antiporda. As a result, they are now buying the album and singing Can We Just Stop and Talk a While just like Gary and Kyla.

This Jose Mari Chan standard is not the only oldie that comes dressed up as a duet in Gary V.’s latest album. He dances across a wide space that encompasses a variety of singing partners and assorted music types. There are more Pinoy originals like Ogie Alcasid’s Kung Mawawala Ka, performed with Zsa Zsa Padilla, pop favorites like Somewhere, Somehow with Sharon Cuneta, new compositions like Hourglass with the fast-rising Bituin Escalante and even the Spanish classic Historia de un Amor with Grimilda Santiago-Ortiz, who it turns out is Gary’s very own mother.

One 2 One does not merely provide Gary the privilege of singing with other big name artists in an album but also that of doing songs with people close to him like this mom and his back-up singer of several years, May Ann Casal Soriano who does It’s Okay. There are also new acts like the promising new group Battery in Man I Am, and Pam G in Ikaw Lang Pala. As far as this album is concerned Gary V. is on a sentimental binge and spreading his wings. The latter means that because of the diverse line-up of talents performing with him, Gary allows himself to go into areas that would best accommodate the styles of his guests like a good host should. The result is a light pop production that is soulful and easy on the ears and also very different from what we usually get from him.

The other cuts included are Atlantic Starr’s Always with Jinky Vidal, the Freestyle member on her first solo outing, Gusto Kita with Vina Morales, Things are Not the Same with Lani Misalucha and A Long and Lasting Love with Kuh Ledesma. One 2 One is an album filled with potential hit singles and it is quite difficult picking out which ones will most likely make it big. Most arresting of course is Can We Just Stop and Talk a While. Great song. Great arrangement. Gusto Kita with Vina comes across as very sexy. They have excellent vocal chemistry. But the one I like best is Man I Am with the trio Battery where Gary acquires a really new, very youthful kind of sound that he should explore more.

Kyla shines as solo artist

Speaking of Kyla, the young singer also figures prominently in the local charts as a solo artist. Her new release I Feel for You from her second album is the leading single of the moment. The others are Akala Mo by Aiza Seguerra; S2pid Luv by the hip hop group Salbakuta; Hanggang Ngayon a duet by Ogie Alcasid and Regine Velasquez; Can We Just Stop and Talk a While by Gary V. and Kyla; Swimming Beach by Parokya ni Edgar; Ikaw Sana by Ogie Alcasid; Bakit by Aegis, Dadalhin Kita by Regine Velasquez; and Luvs Kita by the April Boys.

The foreign tunes hitting it big in the local market are Always on Time by Ja Rule; Wrong Impressions by Natalie Imbruglia; Get the Party Started by Pink; Brown Eyes by Destiny’s Child; I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman by Britney Spears; My December by Linkin Park; Can’t Get You Out of My Head by Kylie Minogue; World of Our Own by Westlife; My Sacrifice by Creed; and Drowning by the Backstreet Boys.