Angeline Quinto makes bid for singing stardom

CAN ANGELINE Quinto, winner of “Star Power: Sharon’s Search for the Next Female Pop Superstar,” live up to expectations? Sharon Cuneta and ABS-CBN’s huge star-making machinery are certainly doing their share to give Angeline her shot at superstardom in the mold of Regine Velasquez, Sarah Geronimo and Cuneta herself. However, good intentions or machinery don’t make a Next Big Anything because superstars aren’t born overnight.

First, the good news: Angeline’s self-titled debut album isn’t a bad start. The 14-track recording features serviceable tunes and a number of gems that showcase the young comer’s octave-breaching pipes. Even better (and at least on recording), she hits her high notes sans the off-putting shrillness of many birit-loving singer wannabes.

Challenging notes

Jonathan Manalo’s anthemic “Patuloy Ang Pangarap” is an appropriately soaring inspirational number for people who have lofty ambitions and big dreams. But, while Angeline has no trouble hitting the song’s challenging notes, there are shaky moments when she loses her firm grip on them.

And, however radio-friendly or “inspired” a tune is, just how many “incarnations” of it can a listener endure? Astoundingly, “Patuloy” has four versions—excluding a minus-one track!

Moreover, while we love the energetic sizzle of Brian Cua’s dance mixes, there’s a curious disconnect between their booming beats and Angeline’s ballad-style rendition of the tune—it’s like walking in slow motion while chasing a bullet train!

Other than the carrier single, two other tracks stand out: Marizen Yaneza’s “Panghabang-Panahon” will remind OPM buffs of Rachel Anne Wolfe and Kedy Sanchez’s “Halika Na Muli” and Yaneza’s collaboration with Jamie Rivera, “Mahal Naman Kita.”

Quinto is at her best when she’s given free rein to improvise in the high registers—and it’s in these moments (“Muling Magmamahal”)when she eerily sounds like Regine Velasquez, still the country’s best songstress—which, for new singers, isn’t always a good thing. Quinto’s singing style and vocal affectations here are too similar to Regine’s.

A singer who sounds like a more popular predecessor will always be considered inferior to the original, unless she proves otherwise!

It’s still early in the stellar game for the “Star Power” champ, however—so, she deserves to savor her triumph for now.