Album review: ‘Higher Love’ by Angeline Quinto

Photo from www.starmometer.com

This 24-year-old multiplatinum selling artist returns to the scene with her third studio-release under Star Records. She has become a household name in the last few years after she was successfully “repackaged”, thus revitalizing her singing career and giving it a clearer direction this time.

Angeline Quinto is one of the must-hear and must-see young singers we have today.
Her continuing success can be attributed to her charming appeal which makes her easily likable as also to her own desire to improve in all aspects of her singing. These factors have led to her musical growth and maturity.

Angeline knows she is in a position right now that requires her to be constantly in her “A-Game!” She can’t afford to lose the spot she occupies now in terms of how she is classified when it comes to our hierarchy of singers, divas, pop stars, etc. That is another reason why her latest studio-release couldn’t have come at a better time.

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Here is my review of the BEST TRACKS of ‘Higher Love.’

Track. 1 “Higher Love” – The title track of the album has Angeline Quinto’s vocal range registering at mid-levels. And with a more delicate approach this time to her vocal work, it does suit well the production of this track which to me sounds like it was heavily influenced by late 90’s R&B.

On the downside, though, this makes “Higher Love” sound a bit dated.

 
And at some points of the song, I could have mistaken them for Gospel music based on the choice of certain lyrics alone as I could hear a lot of words that are strongly identified and associated with the said genre.

“Higher Love” can also mean praising God and reaching a higher level of worship.

Track. 2 “Sana2x” – This is Angeline’s only composition in the entire album and her first ever, in fact, that has been included in an album release. It is a welcome change since many of her fans would also want to hear more of her own original compositions.

The sound engineers must have had a “field day” with this one. I could tell after listening to the track a few times in a row that they couldn’t have thrown in more dance music elements in here. And the ending result speaks for itself.

What I can say, though, is that the shift in the production style does cater more to the younger crowd with its synth-heavy beats.

Going back to Angeline Quinto, it is because of her songwriting skills that gives “Sana2x” a feeling of freshness, and a playfulness behind the lyrics, which the other tracks in this album don’t have.

If “Sana2x” serves as a “taste test” as to how she approaches the songwriting process, then Angeline Quinto should have the confidence to compose more if she wanted to. She is a fairly decent songwriter and she will only get much better over time.

It would be great if we could hear more self-written tracks like this from Angeline in the near future.

Track. 6 “Ikaw ang aking Mundo” –  A piano driven ballad that could melt your heart with its soft and heartfelt lyrics. This track just tugged at my heart as I felt she was singing from her personal experiences.

This track has an earnest feeling to it. It just comes across as authentic to the listener.

Photo from www.starmometer.com

I have heard countless ballads from both local and foreign artists before in the past. For some reason, I can’t explain exactly why this track has such an impact on me. It isn’t only because she gets to sing on pitch and on time–there is something more to it.

Track. 7 “Babalikang Muli” – This resembled more of a live audio recording taken from a concert.

We truly get to hear Angeline exercise her vocal chords here. We all know she has that range. She can sing as good as the best of them. But to hear a track that is as grandiose sounding as this one with her voice reaching those high notes again is a reminder to us of just how gifted as a singer she is.

On a side note, compared to her previous albums, hearing tracks like “Babalikang Muli” would have been more common but for the fact that her singing style has “mellowed down” as of late. Angeline Quinto is one of our local singers who doesn’t sound like she is “shrieking” or screaming right in your ear when she hits those high notes!

Track. 9 “Bring back the Times” – This practically has the same production value as the first track of the same album title. Angeline is, indeed, one of our local artists who sounds equally good singing in our own native language and in English.

In “Bring back the Times,” we take a step back from matters of the heart. We focus more on reliving and possibly even re-experiencing those wonderful memories we had been through as children.

Angeline sings about cherishing those carefree moments and how they can be used as tools or even serve as our coping mechanisms to help us escape, albeit temporarily, from all the “choking” negativity that surrounds us.

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‘Higher Love’ is an album of classic covers, traditional ballads, and a few stand-out tracks, such as “Sana2x” which she composed herself.

Angeline’s vocal take on the covers, her vocal presence in the entire track listing, and her capability to sing on pitch and on time, are the praiseworthy attributes she possesses that music aficionados, music critics, and music intellectuals can consider this as a proper third outing from Angeline Quinto.

Sure, the album ‘Higher Love’ has its flaws, and has some missteps when it comes to the mixing of certain tracks. But what I heard throughout this entire album were glimpses of the kind of singer who has merely scratched the surface of her fullest potential.

Evidence of this are some of the tracks here sounded like she had purposely restrained the power behind her voice and she could have even exhibited more of it if she could. But even in those “mellowed down” tracks, the strength in her voice still remained evident enough that it is seems it was just there waiting to be let out!

I hope in her next studio-release, which hopefully wouldn’t take more than a few years from now to come out, Angeline Quinto could show us more of what she really can do behind the mic. And her songwriting skills should be utilized more next time around.

My Final Verdict: 7/10