A great harvest of girl sounds

Some of the best and I have to say, commercially strongest releases of the year were by females and here are a few which I believe are really keepers for yourselves or as gifts for loved ones who also like good sounds.

Infinity by Charice. Our Charice is set on becoming an R&B diva. That must be why there are more dance tracks than power ballads in this album. Probably, this is also why not one cut in Infinity was produced by David Foster. Charice does quite well. Her voice will stand up to anything, although I do find it hard to reconcile her singing about surviving relationship breakups. But then, she has to grow up. Besides, these are just songs anyway and we do not really know what is going on with her life. Latest I heard is that she has become a big star in Japan where she is fondly called Sharisu and where this CD is a No. 1 seller.

So while we sentimental Pinoys surely miss her soaring birit in power ballads, it is very clear here that Charice has made the change and succeeded. Louder, the first single, has become a dance staple. But for me the best cut is Before It Explodes with Bruno Mars, which will really explode when released as a single. And take note, Mars is not the only big name joining Charice in the album. There are also collaborations with Jason Derulo and Kara Dioguardi, Lesson For Life; JoJo in Heartbreak Survivor; Natasha Bedingfield in Lighthouse; and One Day with Nick Jonas. These are proofs of how big Charice has become in the music business. Other cuts are Lost The Best Thing, Bounce Back, Never Always and for those who hanker for a ballad, New World, the theme from the Final Fantasy video game.

Kelly Clarkson

Stronger by Kelly Clarkson. The girl has fully recovered from her problems with her label about her My December album. This is an empowered Kelly in what I believe is her best work to date. This CD reminds me of what Simon Cowell said of Clarkson. This is that she has the best voice of all the American Idol winners. Every cut in Stronger shows that she really does. She goes from slow ballads Honestly to mid-tempo rockers, Dark Side, from country Standing In Front Of You to pop/rock, Let Me Down and she sounds great in all of them. Most of all, I can sense undertones of fun and confidence. She is doing what she loves and knows that it is all right this time.

Also includes Mr. Know It All, What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger), You Love Me, Einstein, I Forgive You, Hello, The War Is Over, You Can’t Win, Breaking Your Own Heart, and bonus tracks in the Deluxe Edition, Don’t You Wanna Stay, a duet with country music heartthrob Jason Aldean, Don’t Be A Girl About It, The Sun Will Rise and my favorite of the lot, Alone.

Unbroken by Demi Lovato. Also fully recovered from her rehab stint is this Disney princess and she is sassier with a sexier R&B vibe in this album. Lovato is out for a good time and that is how she presents this set, All Night Long featuring Missy Elliott and Timbaland, Who’s That Boy featuring Dev, You’re My Only Shorty featuring Iyaz and Together featuring Jason Derulo make for fun openers. Then the diva takes over and Demi gets up to do some of her most dramatic songs to date. The music is anthemic, the songs dramatic and the results, beautiful.

Demi Lovato

I was not prepared to like this CD but I do. The last three cuts In Real Life, My Love Is Like A Star and For The Love of A Daughter are superb productions with Lovato up to the challenge of these difficult songs. Also includes Lightweight, Unbroken, Fix A Heart, Hold Up, Mistake, Give Your Heart A Break and the single Skyscraper which also comes in a remix by Wizz Dumb. The song is about rising out of the depths and Demi really rises to the top, Unbroken.

And because no girl sounds listing is complete without them, you might also want to check out these new video releases by Beyoncé and Britney Spears in concert DVDs. Beyoncé has Live At Roseland Elements Of 4. This is a two-disc set featuring the Roseland show with a whopping 26 songs, plus the music videos and behind the scenes footage by Beyoncé herself. Britney’s is The Femme Fatale Tour, which is simply fantastic. Makes you wish she stops by for a show soon. Also includes her latest videos.