source: Phil. Daily Inquirer
10/20/2009

The Top Selling Albums in the Philippines for the week Oct. 5-11, based on Odyssey Music and Video store chain’s nationwide sales report:

Overall
1. Romance Revisited: The Love Songs of Jose Mari Chan, Christian Bautista, Universal Records 2. Genie – Girls Generation, Universal Records
3. As 1 – Martin Nievera and Gary Valenciano, Universal Records
4. Romeo – SHINee, Universal Records
5. Paalam, Maraming Salamat Pres. Cory C. Aquino- Various Artists, Star Records
6. Renditions of the Soul- Nina, Warner Music
7. Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel – Mariah Carey, MCA Music
8. Ikaw Na Nga – Willie Revillame, Star Records
9. Change – Jericho Rosales, Star Records
10. Sorry, Sorry – Super Junior, Universal Records

OPM
1. Romance Revisited: The Love Songs of Jose Mari Chan, Christian Bautista, Universal Records 2. As 1 – Martin Nievera and Gary Valenciano, Universal Records
3. Paalam, Maraming Salamat Pres. Cory C. Aquino- Various Artists, Star Records
4. Renditions of the Soul- Nina, Warner Music
5. Ikaw Na Nga – Willie Revillame, Star Records
6. Change – Jericho Rosales, Star Records
7. Mad About Acoustic – Davey, Viva Records
8. Playlist – Freestyle, Viva Records
9. Fly Back Hearts – Chicosci, MCA Music
10. Live! The Album: Music of Level Up! Nation Various Artists, Star Records

By WALDEN SADIRI
October 17, 2009, 1:24pm
Manila Bulletin

Christian Bautista (photo by WALDEN SADIRI)

The concept of jumpstarting a car is simple – use a stronger battery to power up the weak battery!

The same concept holds true too in the case of Christian Bautista when wanted to jumpstart his current recording career. He connected his with the hit songs of the Philippines’ Double Diamond Artist, an icon and powerful figure in the recording industry – Jose Mari Chan. And the connection is via his first album under Universal Records entitled “Romance Revisited: The Love Songs of Jose Mari Chan.”

The question now is whether it would be a successful jumpstart as all eyes, especially Jose Mari Chan fans, will be on him to see if he would meet or even surpass the latter’s achievements. During Jose Mari Chan’s time, Platinum and Diamond album status meant millions of copies sold unlike today in the Philippine setting wherein the number of albums sold were lowered for the different statuses – Gold, Platinum, and even Diamond!

Christian, during his album launch at the Linden Suites recently, expressed that he was actually nervous about recording the songs of Jose Mari Chan. He knew he would be compared to the Double Diamond Artist but said he just couldn’t resist a “diamond” opportunity.

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Staying In
BY JEFFREY O. VALISNO, Senior Reporter
Business World

CD REVIEW
Romance Revisited: The Love Songs of Jose Mari Chan
By Christian Bautista
Universal Records

After four chart-topping albums with his previous recording label, Warner Music Philippines, pop singer Christian Bautista has crossed the fence to join Universal Records.

For his debut release with his new recording company, the singer — dubbed as Asia’s Romantic Balladeer — came up with an album containing some of the best songs by prolific singer and songwriter Jose Mari Chan.

Called Romance Revisited: The Love Songs of Jose Mari Chan, the album contains 19 of the most memorable compositions of the legendary music artist, spanning more than 40 years of his highly successful career.

Mr. Bautista admits that it took Universal Records more than two years to convince him to transfer. But he said what sealed the deal was the recording outfit’s offer to remake Mr. Chan’s songs — beating out other formidable Universal Records contract artists like Jed Madella and Gary Valenciano.

“It was really an honor for me to be given this chance to do my versions of the songs of Mr. Jose Mari Chan,” Mr. Bautista told reporters last week. “Jose Mari Chan’s songs are really my favorites ever since I was young.”

If the only reason Mr. Bautista revived Mr. Chan’s ballads was to update the songs to appeal to a younger crowd, then he can say that he triumphantly accomplished his task.

With refreshing musical arrangements and outstanding guitar and piano tracks, Romance Revisited is a compelling album that music fans should buy.

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SOUNDS FAMILIAR By Baby A. Gil
The Philippine Star
Updated October 16, 2009 12:00 AM

If I were Christian Bautista, I’d think I’d died and gone to heaven while working on this new CD. Okay, let me tone that down a bit. I’d be feeling like a kid let lose in a toy store with a horde of treasures to do with as I please. And what treasures they are! Those are the songs in the Jose Mari Chan catalogue, which as rediscovered here in Christian’s new album, Romance Revisited, The Love Songs Of Jose Mari Chan, are truly some of the most beautiful ballads ever written.

Tribute albums are nothing new. But this CD is one of the very few to feature only a single artist and lucky guy Christian turned out to be the anointed one. I do not know who else dreamed of doing this project or if Jose Mari or label Universal Records had other choices. But whatever misgivings there may have been about giving this opportunity to Christian are now totally forgotten. The fact is, I cannot think of anybody who could have done it better.

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BUZZSTATION
Edgar Cruz
Oct. 13, 2009
The Daily Tribune

The shouted anger of hip hop and the screaming guitars and pounding percussions of rock seem to have drowned out romance in popular music. In has taken a new batch of singers to bring about the return of passion and tenderness in popular music. Two platinum artists have teamed up to do this: Jose Mari Chan of “Deep in My Heart” and “Can We Stop and Talk a While” and Christian Bautista of “The Way You Look at Me” and “Hands to Heaven.”

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