For her most recent homecoming, she was able to stage two successful concerts, Cris Villonco at the Dish, and the launch of her latest album, her first under Viva Records, Cris Villonco.
Judging from the titles of the songs in the album’s lineup, Cris’s third and newest solo compilation marks a milestone in her life and career.
It heralds a more mature, a more self-assured Cris Villonco.
Indeed Cris, who a sophomore student at the Sarah Lawrence College (in Upstate New York), has gone a long, long way from her days as a teenybopper.
She credits her stay in the US to her newfound confidence, her sense of independence and sense of responsibility.
Even her taste in music has grown a bit more mature and sophisticated.
"I have this great African-American music teacher, Ms. Eddye Pierce-Young, who introduced me to Gospel songs, to jazz, to standards," Cris relates. "Also, my friends are into that kind of music."
"It’s the trend nowadays," she observes. "Even young artists like Michael Bublé and Norah Jones are into standards. Even a rocker like Rod Stewart is now into old songs. In fact, Rod’s CD of revivals was the first album that I really liked."
She has also rediscovered the classics of Ella Fitzgerald.
She intones that singing standards demands a whole different kind of discipline from a performer.
"There’s hardly any kulot," she explains. "And you need perfect diction. Otherwise, people won’t be able to understand what you are singing about. The delivery, the phrasing, the cutting is very different. They call it half-step. Instead of a whole note, you hear all these weird and wonderful notes."
For her two concerts at the Dish, Cris tackled big-band music. "It was retro and the response was very encouraging. In fact, there were people who, after catching the first show, also watched the second. People really like old songs these days. I think standards bring us back to a romantic, sweet, innocent time."
For her new Viva album, she also included at least three revivals, among them original compositions of Edith and Margot Gallardo.
"The three revivals in the album are Dreams Can Tell a Lie (originally by Nat King Cole), Tell Her, and We May Never Love Like This Again."
Another highlight is a duet with Filipino-American Broadway star Jose Llana, Then Came You.
"He’s really great to work with," Cris says of Jose. "A wonderful singer. And I also learned a lot from him."
Cris avers that she gets a lot of lessons just by watching and listening to the artists she admires–like US singers Ella Fitzgerald, Barbra Streisand, Johnny Mathis, and Norah Jones and local artists Sharon Cuneta, Lani Misalucha, and Martin Nievera.
It is her ardent wish that her new Viva album will be as successful as the previous efforts of her idols.
"I’m very happy about this new album," Cris says. "I am proud of it."
Cris is also excited about her new recording home, Viva Records. "This will hopefully be the start of a lot of new things."
She has nothing but good words for her Viva family, specifically for her ninangs Edith and Margot.
"They are like my Ninang Engkantada, my fairy godmothers," Cris describes Edith and Margot. "They’re my favorites. I had a lot of fun working with them. I really feel that I can open up and share with them everything, every heartache, every painful experience."
And as bonus, her sob stories have been turned into beautiful love songs by Edith and Margot.
A case in point is Bago Mapagod ang Puso, the album’s carrier track and Cris’s personal favorite.
"I was recording another song then," Cris remembers. "During a break, I told Edith about this guy I liked. He seemed to like me also, but he was not doing anything about his feelings. Soon I got tired of waiting."
By the time Cris wrapped up recording the other song in the studio, "Edith already finished composing this new song, Bago Mapagod ang Puso."
That is why this new album succinctly captures the state of her heart, the state of her art.
"It’s all me," she professes. "It’s my story. Most of the songs in the album are based on my personal experiences."
Needless to say, Cris’s latest album marks her ongoing evolution as an individual and as a performer.
A more mature, more sensitive, more open artist can be heard in this new album.
College life was undoubtedly instrumental in helping her grow as a person and as an artist.
That was the turning point, Cris acknowledges. Sarah Lawrence, after all, is the same revered institution that produced the likes of Brian de Palma, Yoko Ono, Vera Wang, and Barbara Walters.
"In terms of technique, I have grown a lot as a singer," she explains. "Going to Sarah Lawrence and learning about the different techniques have allowed me to hone a richer, fuller voice. Even in the way I attack the notes, it’s very different na. My self-confidence also increased by a notch. I’ve learned to speak up. To be more open. My repertoire has definitely expanded. All these combined make for a different me."
This brand-new Cris, tender and tough, sweet and soulful, makes a grand debut in her new Viva album, and in our hearts, too.