Sown memory late with Jolina

Everybody's doing it so what's to stop Jolina Magdangal from also joining the revival bandwagon, and she does it in a big way. Today's most successful young female singer really brings on the works with this new release.

While every singer of note these days is only exploring the music mines of the '80s and the '70s, Jolina traipses across the '50s and the '60s in her own take on the nostalgia craze with her new album titled On Memory Lane. Not only that she is also costumed and made-up as a World War II beauty on the cover and is photographed in other period costumes inside the booklet.

Now why would somebody like Jolina choose to record songs that became hits a long, long time before she was born and which have already been recorded by many other artists in the past? Well, for one, Jolina is one artist who has always dared to be different. She has her own taste in clothes and hairstyles and is never a slave to what is seen as chic of fashionable. So her decision to do materials from the '50s and '60s should not come as a surprise. For another, she is a good singer who can take any song, old or new, and give it her own style.

And then there is the question, 'why not?' Only the dumb ones would refuse to explore the veritable treasure trove of immortal music from these periods which are considered by many as the golden age of popular music. Besides, the thought that grandmothers and granddaughters can listen together to this album greatly warms the heart. Can you just imagine the wealth of memories that can be found in these songs?

The first single cut is Jolina's version of the Ray Charles classic Crying Time. The others included are Save Your Heart for Me by Gary Lewis and the Playboys; Crazy by Patsy Cline; P.S. I Love You by the Beatles; Puppy Love by Paul Anka; All the Way by Frank Sinatra; Sad Movies (Make Me Cry by Sue Thompson; The End of the World by Skeeter Davis; Sweet Sixteen, which was composed by Danny Subido for Vilma Santos;

Where the Boys Are a Neil Sedaka-Howard Greenfield song written for Connie Francis; You Don't Own Me by Leslie Gore; Breaking Up is Hard to Do again by Sedaka and Greenfield; Too Young from 1951 by Nat "King" Cole; Because by the Dave Clark 5; Smile again by Nat Cole and a composition by Charlie Chaplin; and Tony Bennet's Have a Good Time.

The arrangements often took liberties with the original melodies and Jolina bends too many notes. But on the whole, the album On Memory Lane makes for easy and enjoyable listening.

Fans of Jolina Magdangal who are interested in watching their idol perform the songs from On Memory Lane live, might want to catch her in the course of her mall tour to promote the album. She will be at SM Fairview tomorrow, Feb. 13; at SM Southmall on March 5; at SM Centerpoint on March 12; and at SM Iloilo on March 18.

Australian duo Savage Garden stays on top of the hit list in both the local and US charts with the lovely ballad I Knew I Love You. Here is the top 10 out of this week's Billboard Hot 100 singles: I Knew I Love You by Savage Garden; Thank God I Found You by Mariah Carey feat Joe & 98 Degrees; What a Girl Wants by Christina Aguilera; Get It On Tonight by Montell Jordan; Smooth by Santana feat. Rob Thomas; Back at One by Brian McKnight; All the Small Things by Blink-182; Bring It All to Me by Blaque; Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Eiffel 65; and That's the Way It is by Celine Dion.

Meanwhile, here are the tunes that Pinoys are listening to the most these days: I Knew I Loved You by Savage Garden; Everyday I Love You by Boyzone; If I Let You Go by Westlife; Before I Fall in Love by Coco Lee; Undying Admiration by David Pomeranz; Muli by Vina Morales; I Do (Cherish You) by 98 Degrees; On the Wings of Love byRegine Velasquez; Back at One by Brion McKnight; andComplicated Heart by Michael Learns to Rock.