IN 2005, CHARICE HAD TO hurdle an early exit and a wildcard slot on “Little Big Star” to muscle her way to the show’s finals. To say the least, her third place finish was quite a puzzler—and a downer. Back in those days, it wasn’t all that fashionable to root for the shy but steel-voiced provinciana. Funny how things change in only five years’ time.

Which is what makes the anticipated release of her international debut album, “Charice,” even more bittersweet. Who would have thought that the petite teenage belter would one day turn out to be “Little Big Star’s” “biggest” loser? But, Charice’s rise to the top must have been written in the stars. With the release of her David Foster-produced album, she strengthens her bid for international pop stardom.
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Charice

Reset
The R&B cut, “Reset,” which Charice cowrote with Peter Habib and Adam Nierow, is notable not only for its hip-funky arrangement, but also for smartly incorporating the singer’s Pinoy identity into the lyrics
Pyramid
The synthesized sound of “Pyramid” may be the album’s catchiest
In This Song
you won’t find anything more anthemic than Foster’s “In This Song,” which finds Charice singing about her hard-earned success: “My belief in myself is gonna carry me through/ …I’m never far from home if I open my heart and soul/ …Everyday, there’s a new bridge to cross/ But, I’m never too far from home…in this song.”
Nobody’s Singin’ to Me / Thank You
Anne Preven’s “Nobody’s Singin’ to Me” will remind you of Foster’s “Just For A Moment,” while “Thank You” starts out with a stirring arrangement that later segues to a portion that demonstrates Charice’s lovely, seamless shifts from chest to cottony head tones.
I Love You / In Love So Deep / Did It for You
The sugar-laced “I Love You” benefits from the softer tones of Charice’s high register, further synergized by some catchy clapping. Equally showy is The Corrs’ rock-tinged “In Love So Deep,” which bristles with youthful energy—as well as “Did It For You,” which, in the bonus track of the album’s local edition, she sings with Varsity Fanclub’s Drew Ryan Scott.
All That I Need to Survive
Charice sings Carole Bayer Sager and Jorgen Elofsson’s string-backed ballad, “All That I Need to Survive,” with sparkling vocal lucidity
Nothing / The Truth Is
“Nothing” is boosted by a groove that sticks and lingers, and the hit-bound “The Truth Is” is buoyed up by a relatable sentiment that pleads to a loved one to “read between unspoken lines.”

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