Search - Charice :: Charice

Bait and Switch :)

yonber | Sacramento, Ca. | 05/11/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I first saw Charice her first time on the Oprah Winfrey show. I generally don't listen to the genre of music that includes Whitney, Celine, Beyonce, Mariah, etc. But when I saw Charice, I was stunned by the beauty, power and maturity of her voice and the perfection and fearlessness of her performance. (So was Oprah.) I next saw her on the PBS program, "Hit Man, David Foster and Friends." Then I looked her up on youtube.



Clip after clip of amazing performances: At an Oscars after party, she covers "Listen" so focused and intense that when she ended the last high note, I was out of breath! The clip of her singing "I Believe" with a full orchestra and chorus shows her amazing range and is one of the best performances I have ever seen. These still bring tears to my eyes.



For an example of why Charice's voice is so special, watch her duet with Celine Dion on youtube ("Because You Loved Me"). Celine sings the first phrase, Charice sings the second phrase - the exact same notes. Where Celine's voice is nasal and thin, Charice's voice is full of undertones that give it a deeper, fuller, warmer sound.



Charice became an international star by singing the best songs of the best singers of the last 30 years, with minimal backing tracks and backup singers and no engineering tricks. Just her beautiful, sweet, powerful voice and fearless performances carrying the songs. That was the bait that got me hooked on Charice. This CD is a switch.



It is aimed at a younger demographic. I am 58 and understand that Charice wants to sing contemporary songs written for her generation.



It is contemporary commercial pop, replete with engineering tricks and effects of Charice's voice. The sound has a generic commercial pop quality. Few of the songs have the same emotional impact on me as her TV peerformances, youtube live clips and even previous CD's. Because the songs are not a single performance all the way thru, but multiple takes sliced, diced and edited together, it cannot have the same drama, tension and intensity of Charice's live performances.



Most of the songs are love songs. But there is a good mix of styles. Charice's singing is always clear (when not smothered in special effects) and on pitch. All the songs have snippets of Charice's outstanding high range. But only a few songs really impressed me on first listening.



NOTE TO GOD is the clearest exception to the pop genre of the CD. It came out a year ago as a single. It displays Charice's full power and passion. But I have to complain about the last note. This should be the grandest, most inspiring note of the song. But he put some reverb effect on it that made it sound thin and metalic. She sings that note awesomely live, David's electronic tricks cannot improve on perfection!

RESET has an energetic melody, good hook, and terrific vocals.

IN THIS SONG features sweet, full-voiced singing and a terrific ending!

THANK YOU has strong, passionate, soaring vocals Charice uses to thank all the people who have helped her in her life, especially her mother. Similar message as "Because You Loved Me."

I LOVE YOU is pure pop, energetic, clear, bright vocals.

IN LOVE SO DEEP sounds like one of Beyonce's songwriters wrote this. Uh oh!

ALL THAT I NEED has a quiet, intimate accoustic begining, beautiful melody and singing.

THE TRUTH IS - a beautiful love song with sweet, powerful, passionate singing. One of my favorites on the CD.



This is an outstanding "coming out" CD for Charice. If you like commercial pop, you will love this CD. Still, for me, something is missing. I just listened to Charice's youtube vids of the Bodyguard medley, "Listen" and her best performance, "I Believe." Some songs on this CD come close, but all the special effects, production tricks and editing can't capture the awesome skill and mastery, the intensity and drama, that risk-taking fearlessness of Charice singing a song all the way thru and nailing it so beautifully, that gives me goosebumps and makes me cry, and that made her an international star!"

100 Percent Goosebumps Rating!!

mytimeandplace | Canada | 05/11/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Amazing! This album gave me a fabulous listening experience replete with goosebumps!



I pre-ordered Charice's debut album from Amazon and iTunes... I'm so glad I did because the album is really impressive! For one thing, it was produced by 15-time Grammy winner, David Foster, with the stellar collaboration of songwriters and musicians, who put together new songs with the catchiest tunes and meaningful lyrics. The selection of quality songs reveals that production was not rushed. Plus, the album delivers the versatile talent of Charice, whose outstanding vocals make the songs sound stunning. Charice's exceptionally wide vocal range, rich tone, extraordinary vocal control, and soulful rendition make the songs spring to life. Her phenomenal talent gets listeners to feel and appreciate each song's beautiful movements. Charice is without doubt a gifted artist whose brilliant performances turn songs of varied genres into beautiful pieces of art.



There's no denying that I've been a fan of Charice ever since I first heard her voice (when I chanced upon a PBS Special aired in December 2008). Personally, I feel that listening to the powerful vocals of Charice is like encountering some unforeseen force of nature. It is a force that has left me utterly floored countless times. That MEGAVOICE exploding from her petite frame packs an astounding power that moves and stuns the audience. Her phenomenal talent is undeniably a gift from God...what a joy to hear her sing!! To say that she is amazing is an understatement. Consider her incredible impact on audiences: big smiles, teary eyes, spontaneous applause, extended standing ovations, awe-struck exclamations, shouts of praises, and clamours for encore. If you have yet to hear her live vocals, brace yourself for the force of nature that Charice is. She is genuinely a world-class diva who delivers mind-blowing goosebump performances again and again!!!

"

Great song choices for young singer's original debut

verchiel_al | Texas, USA | 05/12/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A great first original album that can attract a lucrative young market. I like the fact that the producers and songwriters didn't overuse Charice's powerful vocals, giving only hints of it through 11 songs then leaving the best for last in Note To God. The Pop/R&B genre is a great introduction for a young singer like Charice. I don't think she would sell more CD's if all the songs were powerful ballads that would be relegated to the Adult Contemporary genre. And it would not suit her age.

I know she became famous for her awesome renditions of Whitney Houston's songs but as she herself has said, the songs in her new album are the kind she listens to. I see this album as a great marketing ploy for her to build up a following. I don't expect it to break records because I don't see her as a one-hit wonder like all those record-breakers who came and went (Hello Debbie Gibson and Tiffany). I expect her to come out with albums that will get better and better each time. I can see her following Celine Dion's career path - popular in her native country first before slowly building a successful career in the U.S.

For her adult fans, I suggest buying her album My Inspiration, but for her young fans, this album is perfect."