Woman power to the max

I do think that Gwen Stefani fully described the successful female pop star with these words from her song What You Waiting For:

"Look at your watch now! You’re still a super hot female/ you got your million-dollar contract! And they’re all waiting for your hot track."

Here then are some of those girls who fit the description. They make money every time they sing and we are only too happy to please ourselves by listening to their songs.

Café Bossa by Sitti. Sitti means princess in a Muslim dialect and that is just how this pretty singer sounds in her first album. Entitled Café Bossa, the CD makes much of Sitti’s relaxing take on Latin standards like Girl from Ipanema, Mas Que Nada, Wave, One Note Samba, Fly Me to the Moon, Bridges and even A Samba Song by Pinoy jazz artist Bong Penera.

While good with her Portuguese and sexy in her rendition, I think it best to set aside the Latin tag while listening to Café Bossa. Get Astrud or Kevyn for that. The album is only partially Latin. Truth to tell, it hews closer to the light pop formula of M.Y.M.P. and Nina wherein the combination of a sweet voice singing easy listening love songs translates into hit albums.

For proof, take note that Sitti also sounds very much at home with the different vocal placement she uses with pop favorites like At 17, Hey Look at the Sun, I Didn’t Know I Was Looking for Love, Invisible War, Soft Melody, You on My Mind, Lost in Space, Lady Wants to Know, Close to You/ Half a Minute, and the new original Para sa Akin.

This means that Sitti is actually today’s biggest threat to acoustic divas Juris and Nina. And if you want more proof that Sitti is actually on M.Y.M.P. territory, there is the single release, D’Sound’s Tattooed on My Mind. Like me you must already be over your head in exasperation with this one. You do not only hear it played over the radio. It also keeps on playing over and over inside your head. Such is what happens with a successful song.

Light bluesy pop

Corinne Bailey Rae: Corinne who comes from the UK, makes her debut with this self-titled album. I honestly feel that she must be one of the most interesting and appealing new singers of the moment. Her voice and inflections echo Billy Holiday at her melancholy best but her music, most of which she writes herself, is light bluesy pop. She is also a stylish, confident songwriter with a flair for girly profundity and great commercial hooks.

Corinne commands you to Put the Record On, in the current single release from the album. "Girl put your record on/ tell me your favorite song/just go ahead/let your hair down." Obey her and you will find yourself hooked to the sublime, caressing beauty of Like a Star, Enchantment, Put Your Records On, Till It Happens to You, Trouble Sleeping, Call Me When You Get This, Cheux Pastry Heart, Breathless, I’d Like To, Butterfly and Seasons Change. Get lazy and relax with this one. "Just like a star across my sky/ just like an angel off the page/you have appeared to my life…."

Simply called Woman

Let us now get back to Gwen Stefani who must be one of the most powerful women in the music business these days. That song What You Waiting For from whence I took the opening quote for this piece, is one of the cuts in the all-female compilation album, simply entitled Woman. It is an all-star piece and a big bargain with its 20 cuts led by We Belong Together by Mariah Carey.

It also includes Push the Button by the Sugababes; Don’t Cha by The Pussycat Dolls; Pon de Replay by Rihanna; Over by Lindsay Lohan; Wildflowers by Sheryl Crowe; Pieces of Me by Ashlee Simpson; Powerless (Say What You Want) by Nelly Furtado; Leave (Get Out) by JoJo; Dip It Low by Christina Milian; Milkshake by Kelis; Can’t Get You Out of My Head by Kylie Minogue and many others.

There is also Don’t Phunk with My Heart by The Black Eyed Peas (BEP). I know the BEP is a hip-hop group but it also has a woman named Fergie who is now certainly a big star. You should be able to find out what she is like when the group comes over for a show at the Araneta Coliseum on July 27.