LEA SALONGA : In a Class of Her Own

She's never looked better,
She's never sounded better;

three decades after her debut in Rep's "ANNIE",
almost twenty years after her star turn in "MISS SAIGON",

LEA SALONGA
still is, indisputably,
the Crown Jewel of Philippine Music.



ABS-CBN should release last night's special on DVD.

The concert was a montage of Lea's greatest hits:
from "Tomorrow" to "Sana Maulit Muli",
from "A Whole New World" to "I Dreamed a Dream".

There's just no better way to appreciate
the sparkling elegance of Lea's true Filipina beauty,
and her matchless clarity of voice and purity of tone.



My favorite song of the concert surely was Lea's cover
of Menudo's (MENUDO!!?!??!?!?) "If You're Not Here".

You'll remember that she was Ricky Martin & Co.'s
front act during their first visit here in the mid-'80s,
when Lea was part of the Thursday Group of That's Entertainment.



If there's an artist that can make such maudlin material
rise above its jologs roots, it can only be Ms. Salonga;

somehow, she managed to infuse the song with abject longing,
true poignancy and yes,
"Gotta catch a plane at 7:30..."
never sounded so good!!!




Seeing Lea on TV was mesmerizing,
the concert on DVD would be even more so,
but nothing would beat seeing her perform live.

Don't miss this!!!