On Billboard’s Hot 100: (1) "Run It!" - Chris Brown, (2) "Laffy Taffy" - D4L, (3) "Gold Digger" - Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx, (4) "Photograph" - Nickelback, (5) "Soul Survivor" - Young Jeezy featuring Akon, (6) "My Humps" - The Blackeyed Peas, (7) "Don’t Forget About Us" - Mariah Carey, (8) "When I’m Gone" - Eminem, (9) "Stickwitu" - The Pussycat Dolls and (10) "We Be Burnin’" - Sean Paul.
#1: Dingdong & Jessa
We recently attended the album launch of "Laging Ikaw;" that Universal Records duetsoriented release featuring married couple Dingdong Avanzado and Jessa Zaragoza. It’s the first time this kind of concept has been realized in the local (or anywhere as far as we know) music scene so people are naturally curious how the tracks sounds and, more importantly, how the album would fare in retail.
As we listened to some of choice tracks in "Laging Ikaw" performed live by the two that night, we felt that it has fighting chance of becoming topseller. Not only is production work (courtesy of Universal inhouse producer Ito Rapadas) topnotch, but superb harmonious blending of Jessa and Dingdong is effortless.
"That’s because we’re so comfortable with each other na pakiramdaman lang ay alam na namin kung ano’ng gagawin while recording," says Jessa. "Besides, we have the advantage of rehearsing even at home. This means we were not pressured at all by time constraints nor budgetary concerns on rehearsal studio time so we were able to be as creative as we want in crafting our duets."
According to Dingdong, each of them has his own idiosyncracy when it comes to work. Whereas Dingdong is the perfectionist type in the studio who changes that completely once he steps out into the streets, Jessa, he says, brings work home; agonizing over this and that detail while listening to rough mix of the tracks inside their car.
Among the best tracks in "Laging Ikaw" are "Panghabangbuhay," "Save The Best For Last," "Sa Aking Puso," "Bastat Kasama Kita" (first single) and the title track. The last, we were informed, was written specially for Dingdong and Jessa by another husband-and-wife tandem, Jimmy and Cymbee Antiporda.
The singing couple said that they never intended to do "Laging Ikaw." When they signed up with Universal Records, solo albums were what they expected. After all, Dingdong has had a string of hit songs before getting hitched as "Maghihintay Sa Yo," "Wish I Could," and "Ikaw Lamang." The same goes for Jessa who was the Phenomenal Diva in the late 90’s that gave us smash jukebox tunes as "Paano Kaya," "Di Ba’t Ikaw" and "Bakit Pa." "There were apprehensions at first over ‘Laging Ikaw’ kasi iniiwasan nga namin na isipin ng mga tao na packaged deal kami ni Dingdong," says Jessa. "But after Universal explained the concept to us thoroughly, we were sold to the idea. Kunsabagay, matagal na din naman kaming tinatanong ng mga tao kung kelan kami gagawa ng duets album so I guess this is as much a dream project for them as it is for us."
