Divine Diva Zsa-Zsa Padilla has a lot of reasons to consider her latest album extra special. For one, it’s a specially packaged two-CD set that boasts of 12 tracks including well-rendered covers that successfully offered the strength of her distinctively emphatic voice. This should fit enough to symbolize her longevity in showbiz, as well as her devotion to her kingly partner Dolphy.

Probably the finest example that long and lasting love may not necessitate a wedding ceremony, Zsa-Zsa’s ties with the Comedy King has stood the test of time, and proved the cynics wrong. “Actually we have nothing to prove, having been together in showbiz for the past 20 years. It’s something to be proud.”

During a chat with the mainstream entertainment media, Zsa-Zsa quoted a daughter who connected marriage to her album’s opening song and title track, “Unchanging Love.” “Marriage is like the song ‘Unchanging Love.’ It should be the start of your relationship, you should have kids and all that. In your case, it’s the reverse because you’ve been together for so long what else do you have to prove.”

Zsa-Zsa definitely took inspiration from her experience in singing the Japanese track which Concert King Martin Nievera who penned English lyrics for the version. The piece is an original by Korean-Japanese star Jyongri.

“Unchanging Love” is actually bannered by a local hit song “Hanggang” which Wency Cornejo popularized. Zsa-Zsa simply gave justice to Wency’s cut, small wonder that it was picked as carrier single; its music video to be directed by Treb Monteras.

“I pick the song kapag gusto ko ang melody,” she told the media during her album launch. This consideration may have something to do why her catalogue is already filled with melodic works like “Hiram” and “Ikaw Lamang.”

The other CD being a minus one of the album, Zsa-Zsa’s new album has its share of jewels like “Memories” and “Nais Ko,” originally done by Joey Albert and Miguel Vera, respectively. New tracks include the beautiful “Iibigin Kang Muli” penned by Diana Dayao.

Other songs in the album are “Kung,” “Changes,” “Nasasaktan,” “Ikaw Lang,” “Kung Alam Mo Lang,” “Muli” and “Pagmamahal Na Walang Wakas.”

While performing live to promote the album, the ABS-CBN star looked stunning and sounded powerful as ever. That was a gig only matured, classy acts could pull off.

Polyeast Records, which signed the Divine Diva this year, has only proud words for her. “I can honestly say Zsa-Zsa has gotten even better in interpreting songs,” said A&R Chito Ilagan who worked with Zsa-Zsa 20 years ago and felt nostalgic working with her again.

Zsa-Zsa shared through the album notes: “It is hard to express in words the joy, excitement, trepidation I felt while working on this album. It was a long tedious process that I have been too proud to admit I missed until now.”