Joanna Ampil goes pop

MANILA, Philippines - Her name has been strongly associated with musical theater, especially after she played Kim in the West End production of Miss Saigon in London. Understandably, she also gets to sing well-loved tunes that are part of stage musicals. In fact, her eponymously titled debut album contains classic songs from popular musicals.

Joanna Ampil has racked up impressive stage credits, playing memorable characters for more than a decade now. She was only 17 when she left the country to join Miss Saigon. Following her stint in the Cameron McKintosh production, which she even reprised in Australia, she went on to star in many other musicals like Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Miserables, Aladdin, Rent and Hair.

Last year, Joanna played Maria in the local production of West Side Story, mounted by Stages. Early this year, she wrapped up her scene-stealing character of Christmas Eve in the hilarious musical Avenue Q in London.

Rarely does the public hear Joanna render pop tunes. However, in her solo album under Sony Music titled Try Love, Joanna undertakes a different style by singing familiar pop ditties. This is her first CD recorded in the Philippines, which made it all the more memorable and doubly exciting for Joanna.

 “When I was told by my manager (Girlie Rodis) about doing a recording with Sony, you can just imagine the elation I felt,” Joanna wrote in her message for the album’s in-lay cover. “No words can describe it. It’s another dream come true for me.”

Indeed, the 35-year-old Joanna is living her dream — from making a name for herself in international theater to recording albums, both here and abroad.

Recording artists opt for the tried-and-tested remakes for their CDs since listeners readily relate to familiar tunes. The likes of Martin Nievera, Zsa Zsa Padilla and Piolo Pascual have come out with their respective CDs of beautiful cover versions. Even Jed Madela, Karylle and Jennylyn Mercado have churned out previously recorded songs for their albums.

Joanna jumps on the revival fever with Try Love, which contains mostly romantic pop songs that became hits in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Yet, she makes sure she sings the ballads in her own style, making every track a listening pleasure and far from being superfluous.

“The tracks are the songs I used to listen to when I was growing up in Manila,” Joanna shares. “There were those that I chose, while there were some which were suggested by people who know my voice pretty well. Making this album is a real treat for me. I’m happy working with the entire team who made this album possible.”

Some tunes are perhaps older than her, but Joanna made them sound fresh as if they were just composed recently. She gives remarkable interpretation to The Carpenters’ I’m Caught Between Goodbye and I Love You and Hurting Each Other, Seawind’s Follow Your Road, Patti Austin’s If I Believe and Gloria Estefan’s Words Get in the Way.

Listeners will hear a romantic female version of James Ingram’s I Don’t Have the Heart, which Joanna recorded with so much passion, as well as Stevie Wonder’s Lately.

She renders a Cilla Black original that was later revived by Cliff Richards, I Only Live To Love You. Deniece Williams’ Healing has been given a stirring version that sends goose bumps to the one who hears the cut for the first time.

For the album’s title track, Joanna sings an unrecorded tune, Try Love, penned by Julia Gold, who also wrote Bette Midler’s From a Distance and Lea Salonga’s Journey. Joanna was simply given the composer’s demo tape to study the song and she took it as a challenge to record her own version.

With Ariel Rivera, she does a duet in The Last Time I Felt Like This, the hauntingly beautiful theme of the romantic film, Same Time, Next Year.

The sole OPM cut in the album is the nostalgic ballad, Maghihintay Sa ‘Yo, a Dingdong Avanzado original which Joanna is most familiar with. It was her manager, Girlie, who suggested to include an OPM selection in the CD.

 “When I was in London and I was asked to sing a Tagalog song, that’s the one I always did,” Joanna recalls.

Joanna clearly takes a big, bold and brave risk with Try Love, but there’s nothing to regret about it. Filipino music fans are out to discover her in her new album, where she proves that she, too, can tread the popular genre and do a good job.