Loving You: Lani’s ‘highlight’ song

The song Loving You is always a highlight of Lani Misalucha’s live performances. She does its intricate melismas or bird calls or whatever you call those notes, while lying down on the stage. As everybody who has ever sang a note knows, it is difficult enough trying to sing while sitting down, let alone do something like Loving You while on your back. Rightly so, this gimmick never fails to impress Lani’s audience. In fact, this song has sort of become her trademark that some comedians have taken to singing Loving You in their acts while lying down on stage a la Lani.

Of course they do not do it as well as she does. In fact very few singers can do the song right. You can count on your fingers, the ones who can hit those notes correctly. In this country of ours, which I must say, is in eternal fascination of singers who are "mataas ang boses," and these range from Mario Lanza to Eddie Peregrina to Josh Groban, being able to do a mean version of Loving You like Lani does, is regarded as quite a feat. Check this out in her new album which is also titled Loving You.

This is because Loving You is considered one of the most difficult songs ever written. Singer Minnie Riperton, who recorded the original version, composed the song with her husband Richard Rudolph. It is not by Burt Bacharach and Hal David as erroneously credited in Lani’s album. Now Minnie was one of those rare humans with a five-octave vocal range. Three is normal for singers, four is impressive but five is definitely astonishing.

Minnie recorded it for her first solo album Perfect Angel which was produced by no less than Stevie Wonder. Minnie sang back-up vocals for him so when it came time for her to launch her solo career Stevie gladly did the producing chores. Loving You made number one in the Billboard hit list in 1975. It was also unfortunately, Minnie’s only big seller. She was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after and she died four years later.

Rather belatedly because she has been singing the song for some years now, Lani has finally recorded Loving You. Taking its cue from the title, the album is made up of love songs led by the first single release, Tila, a new work by Lisa Diy and Chat Zamora. The other songs in the album are Sinaktan ang Puso, Sayang at Sinayang Mo, Tag-araw, Tag-ulan, Makayanan Ko Kaya, Forgive Me for Dreaming, Muntik Nang Maabot ang Langit, Ibigin Mo Ako, Malaya Ka Na, Loving You, Di Mo Ba Alam, The Only One, My Love and I and Pinapangarap, Pinapanaginip.

This studio album ends the long wait for Lani’s followers. Enjoy it. She sounds as good as you remember. Besides, given her preferences for live shows, it might take years again before she does another one.

Sing like a star

Learn how to sing like a star or just pretend you’re one with the new VCD edition of the Star for a Night soundtrack album. Titled Sing Like a Star for a Night the album features the finalists of the talent competition led by winner Sarah Geronimo plus show emcee Regine Velasquez. Sarah is of course, the 14-year-old who performed Celine Dion’s To Love You More in the finals held early last March. Her version has since become a hit and turned the Star for a Night album into a big seller. It was proclaimed Gold a few weeks ago and is expected to turn Platinum soon. So it now looks like Sarah will not just be a Star for a Night but a big star for a long, long time.

The VCD visuals is made up of especially shot footage of the other contestants plus bits and pieces of the hugely successful finals night held at the ULTRA. So this is also your chance to once more check out your favorites among the finalists and get another fill or the exhilarating event. Here are the other numbers included: Emotions by Musica Cristobal; Habang May Buhay by Angeline Quinto; Vision of Love by Mailyn Yu; Better Days by Maureen Marcelo; Fallin’ by Roxanne Joy Castro; Cry by Angeli Mae Flores; You are My Song by Jason Velasquez; Never Ever Say Goodbye by Carlo San Jose; Ngayon at Kailan Man by Mark Bautista; Ngayon by Florie Mae Lucido; and Pangarap Na Bituin by Regine.