Acoustic Christmas sounds

Hers is one of the past year’s big success stories. Her name is Princess Velasco, but she is now known simply as Princess. She is the girl who skyrocketed to fame with the album Addicted To Acoustic. Her voice was what initially attracted the public. It sounds so sweet and refreshing and makes listeners relax even with complicated rhythms like Bleeding Love or R&B tracks like Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It).

Then how glad fans were to find out that Princess has great looks, spic and span and very princess-like, and also has brains to boot. She studied in Assumption College for her elementary and high school. She then went to De La Salle and graduated with degrees in Communication Arts and Advertising Management. She earned her Master of Business Administration at the University of the Philippines. Before singing she was assistant professorial lecturer on Marketing and Advertising also at La Salle.

She has left all that for the moment and is now a full-fledged singing star. With such success, it is only fitting that Princess ends the year with an acoustic Christmas album. The Addicted To Acoustic Christmas Edition by Princess is now available and soaring once more to the top. It is made up of Princess’ hit tunes in medley arrangements of Christmas tunes.

Lead tracks are I Got A Feeling Christmas Medley with Jingle Bells, O Christmas Tree, Jingle Bell Rock and Blue Christmas; and the Single Ladies Christmas Medley with Let It Snow, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus and Happy Holiday. There are also Give Love On Christmas Day, Winter Wonderland, My Grown-Up Christmas List, Angels We Have Heard On High, The Christmas Song, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, Happy Christmas, Sleigh Ride, White Christmas, Merry Christmas Darling, Last Christmas, Do They Know It’s Christmas; and extended versions of the single releases I Got A Feeling Christmas Medley and Single Ladies Christmas Medley.

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One of my all-time favorite sounds is a CD simply titled Matins from Jesuit Communications, the media arm of the Society Of Jesus order in the Philippines. While truly timeless in style and guaranteed effective if you crave quiet moments, it is however not the type that will land in the charts.

That though is not the case with JesCom’s new release for the Christmas Season. This CD is very much on the hip side. It also guarantees relaxing moments but the sort stoked with smoldering Latin fire. This is Feliz by Pavi & Tropicalia which is made up of Christmas Songs in Bossa Nova produced by Rhany Torres, former bassist of Ethnic Faces and co-founder of Brownbeat Allstars.

Feliz Christmas Songs in Bossa Nova features Pavi de Mayo on vocals while Tropicalia includes Ariel Policarpio on guitars; Tom Vinoya on keyboards; Torres on bass; and Jayvee Torres on drums and percussion. Highlighting the piece are two new compositions Jesuit Christmas songs in bossa nova mode, Noong Paskong Una and Gumising.

The other cuts are Angels We Have Heard On High, It Came Upon A Midnight Clear, Emmanuel, O Christmas Tree, Silver Bells, Greensleeves, Hallelujah, I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day, Away In A Manger and Go Tell It On The Mountain.

A Kringles Christmas

There is no missing a Kringles Christmas album every year. We may never know who the people are behind the name but you can bet that thanks to Alpha Records, there is always music by The Kringles available on Christmastime. The formula remains constant. Take the big hits of the year and then spin them into medleys of Christmas songs.

The 2009 edition is titled Santa’s Hit List and the songs providing the beds for the medleys are Boom Boom Pow, Poker Face and Insomnia. Then inside these are Boom Boom Pow Christmas Medley with Jingle Bells, Deck The Halls, O Holy Night, O Come All Ye Faithful, Silent Night and We Wish You A Merry Christmas; Poker Face Christmas Medley with Joy To The World, Away In A Manger, Good King Wenceslas, The First Noel, What Child Is This and Auld Lang Syne; and Insomnia Christmas Medley with Twelve Days Of Christmas, Jingle Bells, Joy To The World, Angels We Have Heard On High, O Christmas Tree and Auld Lang Syne.