New sounds from Mark

In case you have been wondering whose voice it is you have been hearing lately singing that new version of the Lee Ann Rimes hit, I Need You, I am more than glad to provide the answer. It is Mark Bautista, the singing contest runner-up who has been enjoying a streak of good luck these past two years. Mark’s rendition of the inspirational song soars and moves the listener. Looks like he has a big seller in the offing. Helping things along is the impressive video directed by GB San Pedro which features the lovely Anne Curtis.

I Need You is the first single out of Mark’s new CD-Lite release. The album is an interesting mix. The title cut is a cover of the Side A song Dream On, which Mark took great care to do as well as he could because he wanted to please the group he has always looked up to. Three songs were recorded in producer Christian de Walden’s Los Angeles studio. One is a fun version of the oldie When Will I See You Again where he duets with Raymond Manalo with Sarah Geronimo and Rachelle Ann Go as background singers. The other two, You Win the Game and And by Now, were personally selected by the Academy Award nominated De Walden for Mark.

The young man initially established himself as the contestant who took a cargo boat to Manila from Zamboanga to join a singing competition because he didn’t have enough money for the fare. While it would be good for Mark to always look back to those hungry years, it would still be nice for people to now remember him for the music he makes.

Mark is in the midst of a nationwide mall tour to promote his new CD. You can catch him at Starmall on EDSA tomorrow; Metropolis in Alabang on Sunday, Oct. 9; SM Cebu on Saturday, Oct. 15; SM Makati on Sunday, Oct. 16; SM Bacoor on Saturday, Oct. 22; SM Bicutan on Sunday, Oct. 23; and SM Pampanga on Sunday, Oct. 30.

Rachelle Ann on MTV Homecoming

Speaking of Rachelle Ann Go, MTV Pilipinas’ Favorite Female Artist of the Year, is the featured star in the premiere episode of MTV Homecoming at 11 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 10. The new show takes the stars back to where they all started. Viewers will take a trip down memory lane as their favorite stars visit their former schools, hang-outs and meet old friends and teachers again. The show ends with a mini-concert, a one-of-a-kind homecoming fit for a star. Wonder where Rachelle Ann will take us and what old secrets she will reveal.

In case you miss MTV Homecoming this Monday, there are replays at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, at 11 a.m. on Friday and at 6 p.m. on Saturday. Also watch out for MTV Get Hitch’d on Wednesday at 11p.m. This is a dating game where one guy gets a cool make-over, or a hair, wardrobe and other confidence boosters to snag a date with the girl of his dreams.

Back to Rachelle Ann. The former San Beda College student recently returned from the Astana Music Festival with another prize. This was for Best Performance of Own Country Song: Vehnee Saturno’s Isang Lahi which also won for Best Arrangement. Probably because they were in a strange country, Kazakhstan of the former Soviet Union, Rachelle Ann actually thought she placed second in the contest and only found out she was the winner in the Own Country Song category in the press releases of the festival.

Rachelle Ann’s latest single Here I Am Again is 13th in the Pinoy MYX Countdown this week.

The Top 20 list: Kahit Pa by Hale; Especially for You by M.Y.M.P.; Sorry by Cueshé; Gemini by Sponge Cola; Tumatakbo by Mojofly; Pinoy Ako by Orange and Lemons; Mang Jose by Parokya ni Edgar; Love Can’t Lie by Sarah Geronimo; F. U. by Bamboo; Heaven Knows by Orange and Lemons; Ang Ating Araw by Dicta License; I Will Never Leave You by Erik Santos; Here I Am Again by Rachelle Ann Go; What I Do Best by Sheryn Regis; Stay by Cueshé; The Day You Said Goodnight by Hale; I Love You, Goodbye by Nina; Quick to Panic by Sheila and the Insects; Kailanman by Syato; and Eddie by The Members.