A harvest of love songs

The weather has turned balmy and life seems to be gearing for a stop and one cannot help but dream of lazy afternoons spent just lolling around and not thinking of anything that one has to do. Taking long siestas would be the ultimate in luxury. Next to that is listening to beautiful music, preferably old tunes that bring back lots of memories. And I am saying this because I have just come across a wonderful series of albums that would really make for perfect listening during times like these.

The series is titled Love Songs and it is made up of several CD’s featuring the big hits of famous artists. Getting the entire batch felt like having a deluge of presents on Christmas morning. Some of them were the top favorites of your Moms and Dads like Jose Feliciano and Dionne Warwick or of your grandparents think (Perry Como and Harry Belafonte) or are from a time more recent that you can easily relate to their songs (the Pointer Sisters and Hall & Oates). But no matter what the vintage there is a treasure trove of unforgettable songs in each of them.

The Harry Belafonte collection should be of particular interest not only to the fans of the great singer, actor and humanitarian but also to those who will be introduced to his music through this album. Belafonte first made his mark during the ’50s as a calypso singer with The Banana Boat Song (Day-O) and Mama Look a Booboo as his monster hits. But he also excels as a balladeer. He has this smooth styling that glows with quiet passion and whether he is singing a Christmas Carol Mary’s Boy Child or a pop tune like Neil Diamond’s Play Me, he is able to command total involvement from his audience.

Harry Belafonte Love Songs presents 16 cuts and each one is a gem. Those who remember him from 1957 will realize how much they miss his songs. Those who will be hearing him for the first time will wonder why they did not take the trouble to listen to him earlier. No matter; they can now have their fill of Belafonte with the songs Scarlet Ribbons, Unchained Melody, Play Me, Try to Remember, Scarborough Fair and My Angel. Day-O is not included but there are also light calypso tunes like Matilda, Matilda, Don’t Ever Love Me, Come Back Liza, Angelina, I Do Adore Her and the theme from one of the films he starred in, Island in the Sun.

The other artists featured in the Love Songs series from BMG are Perry Como, with And I Love You, It’s Impossible and Catch a Falling Star; Neil Sedaka with Breaking Up is Hard to Do, and You Mean Everything to Me; the Alan Parsons Project with If I Could Change Your Mind, and Light of the World; Dionne Warwick with I’ll Never Love This Way Again, Heartbreaker and Friends in Love; Dolly Parton with We Had It All and the original version of I’ll Always Love You; Darryl Hall & John Oates with Everytime You Go Away, and Why Do Lover’s Break Each Other’s Heart; The Pointer Sisters with Someday We’ll Be Together, All I Know is the Way I Feel and I’m in Love; and Jose Feliciano with Love Comes from the Most Unexpected Places and First of May.

So curl up, preferably on a hammock. But if one is not available, a sofa or bed will do. Give the books and your eyes a rest and then let your ears and of course, your mind feast on these love songs from the past.

Acoustic Nights at Onstage

Chill out with Acoustic Nights at Onstage. Freestyle, Side A and South Border, the leading pop groups of the moment plus upcoming singer and guitarist Paolo Santos are all set to headline Acoustic Nights, the coolest concert series this summer scheduled for the weekends of May at the Onstage in Makati. Freestyle takes center stage on May 1 with Ogie Alcasid and on May 3 and 4 with Malik and Bituin Escalante. The following weekend, May 9 and 10 will feature The South Border. Side A goes onstage on May 16 and 17. Then come May 23 and 24, it will be the turn of hot newcomer Paolo Santos. The series comes to end on May 30 and 31 with Side A once more.

Tickets to Acoustic Nights are available at Onstage and Ticketworld outlets. Prices are P1300, P1100 and P800.