Charlie Green ups the romantic ante

GREEN. Grows up in second solo album.

THE music biz has a new heartthrob, and he isn’t really all that new—or old: Filipino-British singing sensation, Charlie Green, just turned 15 last month, but he’s already 5’9” tall—and growing! Fortunately, the “Britain’s Got Talent” alumnus doesn’t get by on his good looks alone—he also has golden pipes to boost his stellar cachet, as his second album, “Rainbow,” demonstrates.

With synth-heavy, techno-tweaked hooks fuelling his pop frontliners (which make up half of the track listing’s diverse repertoire), Green’s latest recording is guaranteed to make the Autotune-weaned Bieber crowd sit up and take notice.

It’s interesting to note that the soaring soprano voice that fuelled his 2008 standards-heavy debut has been replaced by a distinctly different type—you won’t recognize it, though its deeper and more soul-tinged quality remains easy on the ears. So, we’re glad that there’s not much “growing pains” (no croaking, straining or awkward notes) for Charlie to hurdle as he eases into his teenage years.

Themes

If his previous recording effort was careful not to feature age-inappropriate tunes, his latest album ups the romantic ante by tackling themes that discuss his doubts and fears about love (“Zoom, Zoom, Zoom”), courtship (“Liquid Ice”), and the heady pleasures of romance (“Rainbow,” “Just My Type”).

Despite his age, Charlie isn’t one to allow his musicality to get stuck in romantic limbo, so you’ll also hear him belt the buoyant melody of Fleetwood Mac’s inspirational “Don’t Stop,” or draw out his mambo swagger in “Infatuation” and the catchy cha-cha tune, “Chica Ya Ya.”

If you’re partial to ballads, you’ll love his dreamy cover of Armando Manzanero’s 1970 bolero classic, “It’s Impossible (Somos Novios),” in which he collaborates with Mexican singer/actress, Danna Paola, as well as his lilting, breezy revival of Kyu Sakamoto’s “Sukiyaki.”

Musicality

Hormonal adjustments may have lowered Charlie’s range, but they have also added heft to his voice. Moreover, his musicality and vocal control are as strong as ever—even when he’s performing easy-to-botch tracks, like Davy Jones and the Monkees’ “Daydream Believer” and the Four Tops’ 1966 Motown dance hit, “Reach Out (I’ll Be There).”

Green saves the best for last, with his “youthened,” stand-alone rendition of Nonoy Zuniga’s wistful “Kumusta Ka?” In the young singer’s hands, the well-loved OPM ditty promises a fresh beginning for an “interrupted” romance that deserves a second chance: “Ano ba’ng dapat sabihin pa?/ Dibdib ko’y malakas na namang kumakaba/ Dapat kayang malaman mong hindi nagbabago?/ Hanggang ngayon, mahal pa rin kita!”