Heavenly

In 2001, Philippine female singer Ara Mina released Heavenly, her second album. Mina is a popular young actress and television personality who has built a career around her well-developed body. Her singing talent is minimal, and she probably wouldn't have a recording contract if not for her good looks and screen popularity. Her self-titled debut album from 1999 was successful commercially, but Ara Mina's vocal performance was awful. Her singing has improved on Heavenly, although some of it is still below average. As before, high production values are evident in the making of the album, and many respected local music figures took part in the affair. Mina's status is such that she attracts only the best people, despite the fact she doesn't sing very well. However, this state of affairs is quite common in the Philippines, where popularity and good looks can be more important than talent. Heavenly contains more diversity than 1999's Ara Mina, which consisted mostly of easy listening love songs. Heavenly has its share of these type of tunes, but there are also three dance-inflected numbers: "Sorry," "Dance Paikot Ikot" (Dance Around and Around), and "Keep on Dancing." Another tune, "Gusto Kita" (I Like You), contains electronica. Mina's vocal performance varies throughout the album. She sounds passable on the easy listening "In Love Na In Love" (Very Much in Love), although it's apparent she doesn't have much natural talent, but her vocals are awful on the coy "Oops! Teka Lang" (Oops, Wait a Second), where she sounds like Minnie Mouse on helium. Remarkably, she sounds better than average on the fine ballad "I'll Never Forget."