In 1997, Philippine female singing trio
Vanna Vanna released
Style. The album is dominated by upbeat, dance-inflected music. Significantly, all 11 songs on
Style were composed by international composers. Two songs originally written in English were rewritten with lyrics in Tagalog, the Philippines' national language.
Style sounds more modern than most Philippine albums.
The opening, "Don't Be Shy," sets the pace for much of the album and contains upbeat, bouncy instrumentation and a catchy hook in the chorus. As with "Don't Be Shy," many songs are dance inflected, including "Walk Away," "Style," "Without Your Love," "Let's Dance," "Say," "Sa Patak Ng Ulan" (In the Falling Rain), "Sweet Intent," and "Ok Bye Bye." Two songs, "One More Time" and the charming "Ikaw Pa Rin At Ako" (It's Still You and Me), are reggae styled. While
Vanna Vanna's singing is adequate and shines on some songs, it could often be better and more distinctive. A number of songs don't reach their full potential because of this. For example, the singing on "Walk Away," "Without Each Other," and "Ok Bye Bye," among others, needs more depth and fluidity to make the songs sound first-rate. Yet, the singing sounds fine on "Don't Be Shy," "One More Time," and is particularly impressive on the reggae-styled "Ikaw Pa Rin At Ako." Nonetheless, the singing needs more consistency and depth. ~ David Gonzales