Significant makeovers for pop faves

BENET. Skilled and intuitive vocalist.

For many singers, recording covers of popular tunes is the quickest way to churn out a hit single. While it’s true that instant recall doesn’t always guarantee success on the pop charts, Eric Benet’s significant “covers” album, “From E to U: Vol. 1,” has one potent element going for it—the singer’s ability as an intuitive interpreter and skilled vocal technician.

It isn’t every day that we hear a male version of Chaka Khan’s iconic love song, “Through The Fire”—but, Benet, who’s best remembered for his enduring duets with Faith Evans (“Georgy Porgy”) and Tamia (“Spend My Life With You”), shows us how it’s done without Khan’s flashy theatrics, but with the passion required to breathe throbbing life into its romantic tale.

Conscious decision

Even in tunes that beg for “bigness” and grand execution, Halle Berry’s suave former husband makes a conscious decision not to go over the top—after all, it’s pointless to compare the technique of a “relative” newcomer to the indelible performing styles of Chaka, Steve Perry and Maurice White. His revivals of Journey’s “Open Arms” and Earth, Wind & Fire’s “After The Love Has Gone” are warm, heartfelt and steadily rendered.

Benet is earnest, but knows how to keep it light—as he demonstrates in The Doobie Brothers’ “What A Fool Believes,” Paul Young’s “Every Time You Go Away” and Toto’s “Africa.”

Our top picks are guaranteed to find favor with Pinoy music lovers: Benet puts a ravishing neo-soul spin on Hall & Oates’ “Sara Smile” and Extreme’s “More Than Words,” then sings the videoke staple, “Almost Paradise,” the love theme from the 1984 flick, “Footloose,” with K-pop star, Ailee.