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Seven grand contenders. Seven remarkable voices. Seven passionate renditions.
Seven grand contenders. Seven remarkable voices. Seven passionate renditions. Everything that Pinoy Pop Superstar Year 2 has to offer is now captured in the glorious Pinoy Pop Superstar Grand Contenders' Album. From the jam-packed urban districts of Manila and Davao to the grandeur of Canada and California, seven brilliant vocalists emerged to compete in the grand finals night and at the same time provided audiences a preview of greater things to come with the Grand Contenders' Album. Weaving their own brand of magic, these seven aspirants' debut album will surely enchant you. Opening the musical salvo is seven-week champion and first grand finalist Harry Santos. His version of To Where You Are is a poignant makeover from Josh Groban's. Harry pursues a comparable vocal treatment with the original, sometimes matching Groban note for note. Second grand contender and the youngest of them all Gerald Santos delivers on Kahit Isang Saglit, a powerful, emotive track. Gerald's strength has always been vintage ballads, and that is why his take on Kahit Isang Saglit flaunts pure charm with his dramatic voice, enhanced with equally dramatic orchestration. First female grand contender Aicelle Santos made history when she became the first eight-time weekly champion. This Psychology student goes beyond Freud and Fromm in blowing people's minds. The moment she sings everyone listens. All The Man That I Need oozes with soul and passion, reminding listeners of Aretha Franklin. The sultry If I Could offers listeners an almost ambient yet sumptuous sample of Irra Cenina's talents. Surrounded by a landscape of soft guitar and piano work, showcases a different vocal quality. Irra's voice is rich in quality but strong enough to shift from genre to genre, a rare attribute among vocalists these days. Meanwhile, determination seems to be the key to Denver Regencia's success. After failing to qualify in the Manila and Cavite auditions, he showed up at the Davao auditions and this time, he finally booked his ticket to the show and eventually clawed his way to the top. Interestingly, How Can You Mend A Broken Heart follows where Irra's song leaves off. Denver's apparent maturity in crafting his own personality in this rendition is palpable. The track's luxurious instrumentation is only an ornament compared to Denver's voice that glides like ice. One of the flagships in this album is Elise Estrada's cover of Natural Woman. Representing Canada this year, Elise's interpretation of Natural Woman is delectable with that breathy, albeit potent, voice that Carole King would have been proud to hear. She reaches vocal heights in the middle of the song with no signs of faltering. 18-year-old Rosemarie Tan is representing the United States in the competition. She has already performed in the New York musical, The Apollo, which justifies her theatrical voice reaching unbelievably new pinnacles. Neither One Of Us sets Rosemarie apart with a classic, cultured sophistication present in this rendition. Aware of her voice's celestial possibility, Rosemarie rarely overdoes herself although she never holds back when needed, harnessing that voice by the time Neither One Of Us moves forward. The final track Magsimula Ka features the seven grand contenders bringing out the best in each others' ranges, incorporating a good combination in the song's aim at motivating audiences. Pinoy Pop Superstar continues to rage on in its second year and this album would definitely foster a better appreciation of the Filipino talent. What's more, Pinoy Pop Superstar is progressing faster and is pushing for discovering truly talented artists. With this release, listeners can expect an exciting showdown as the grand finals approaches on May 6. 'Pinoy Pop Superstar Year 2 - Grand Contenders' album is available nationwide only from GMA Records and exclusively distributed by Ivory Music and Video.