Renditions of the Soul
Encyclopedia
Renditions of the Soul is the fifth studio album
by Filipino
singer Nina
, released in the Philippines
on August 27, 2009 by Warner Music
. The album contains a selection of the most requested songs from her "all-male hits special" weekly acoustic radio show of the same title, which aired on Wave 89.1
during Friday and Sunday evenings. The idea and concept of the project came from Nina herself, and she approached the station's manager to carry it out. She is co-executive producer
of the album, with Warner head manager Jim Baluyut, and produced all the tracks herself (a first time for the singer). All the tracks are the actual recordings from Nina's Renditions of the Soul radio sessions.
Upon release, the album received positive response from music critics who stated that Nina's voice fits perfectly to each song. In 2010, she won Best Female Recording Artist on the Box Office Entertainment Awards, where the Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation named her as the best-selling female recording artist of 2009—having sold 100,000 copies of her Nina Live!
, Nina Sings the Hits of Diane Warren
and Renditions of the Soul albums. Additionally, the album was surprisingly a commercial hit. Despite having the least promotion, it managed to reach Platinum by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI) in July 2010, denoting 20,000 units sold. In December 2010, it became one of the best-sellers in the country during Christmas
season.
Three singles were released from the album. "She's Out of My Life
" was the first official single. It did not have a music video
to be solicited to music channels, and therefore, lacked promotion. The second single was "Cold Summer Nights", originally recorded by Francis Magalona
. Like the first single, it was not given enough promotion, but it managed to pick up airplay on TV and radio. "I'm Yours
" was released as the third and last single off the album. Unlike the two releases, it had a music video that came up from Warner's Nina sing-along contest. Since, Nina has left the label during the time, she had no participation on the video's release.
was released along with two chart-topping singles, "Foolish Heart" and "Loving You
", which are both revivals. Aside from performing well commercially, both singles were critically acclaimed. In 2003, she covered three more songs on her second studio album Smile
, namely "A Girl Can Dream", "Shoo-Bee-Doo" and "I'll Always Stay in Love This Way". "A Girl Can Dream" was released as an official single, while the other two were released as radio-only singles due to warm reception. In 2005, Nina proved herself as the great cover-girl, when she released her first live
cover album Nina Live!
. The album was a huge commercial success, certifying Diamond by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI). The album's lead single, "Love Moves in Mysterious Ways", also became her most successful single when it topped the charts for twelve consecutive weeks in record time. In 2006, her self-titled album was released and it contains two revivals, namely "I Can't Make You Love Me" and "Love Is Contagious". Both songs received positive response from critics. The album was then re-issued in 2007, containing a second disc of Barry Manilow
classic songs. The re-issue showcases Nina's renditions of Manilow hits such as "Somewhere Down the Road
" and "If I Should Love Again
". In 2008, she released her second cover album entitled Nina Sings the Hits of Diane Warren
, wherein she took on Warren-penned ballads. She released "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing
" and "There You'll Be
" as commercial singles.
In 2008, Nina hosted an "all-male hits" special weekly acoustic radio show on Wave 89.1
radio station, entitled Renditions of the Soul. It aired during Friday and Sunday evenings. The show's concept is about the Soul Siren, singing the most-requested songs that were originally performed and recorded by male artists, may it be local or foreign. Nina conceptualized the show herself, saying "They [listeners] send their requests. Some send letters along with the requests and binabasa ko rin ‘yun [I also read them]." She added that the station's manager is her friend, and that she is glad that he approved on her idea. Each night of the show has its respective theme or concept, where Nina sings songs that are related to each other—may it be originally recorded and performed by the same artist or may it have one lyrical content and plot. Some nights of the show just featured request letters and mails from fans and listeners, where she reads and later, performs them. Nina described how the album became a reflection of herself in the following statement:
The radio show had a long run, airing on the station for approximately three years; from 2008—2010. Every evening episode has its respective conception, where the songs are either requests from fans, sung originally by the same artist, or have similar lyrical stories. Nina's cover of "Can't Find the Words to Say Goodbye", a song originally recorded in two different versions by David Gates
and Billy Dean
who both wrote and composed it, aired on February 29, 2008. Her version was described as the "classiest, most polished reinvention" along with the less familiar tune of the Justin Timberlake
original, "Never Again". The "Justin Timberlake Night" episode aired on May 29, 2009. She performed "What Goes Around... Comes Around" and "Until the End of Time
" alongside "Never Again". Like Timberlake's version, she performed "Never Again" in an acoustic piano arrangement. She admits that it is one of her favorite songs. In an April 25, 2008 episode, she performed songs that were requested by listeners. One song that was included in the album was "Half Crazy", originally by Johnny Gill
. She recorded it along with "P.D.A. (We Just Don't Care)
" by John Legend
.". "Real Thing", a Kalapana original, was recorded a few days earlier on April 11, 2008. On May 1, 2009, she recorded "Go the Distance
" alongside the Phil Collins
original, "You'll Be in My Heart
".
gave the album a positive review, noticing the more unplugged sound delivered by it. He praised four songs—the covers of Justin Timberlake's acoustic ballad "Never Again", Robin Thicke
's pop hit "Lost Without U
", Bread
's classic hit "Can't Find the Words to Say Goodbye" and Rannie Raymundo's OPM hit "Why Can't It Be"—saying "it’s the less familiar tunes [...] that get the classiest, most polished reinventions." Manila Bulletin
gave the album a similarly positive review, stating "The 17-track album is more emotionally subtle, yet the songs just have as equally powerful messages like her previous hits [...] Nina’s singing perfectly renders the message of every selection: Love, longing and the purity of emotional surrender."
, and it is lyrically intended for a male singer. However, when Nina covered the song, she altered the title line "she's out of my life" into "he's out of my life," making an entirely female-perspective version of the song. Despite her alteration on the song's title, the original title was kept in the copy prints. The song had no music video
, defining lack of promotion for the album. Since then, it was only considered to be a promotional single. Prior to the release of the album, Nina has performed the song in various TV appearances.
"Cold Summer Nights" was released in February 2010 as the second promotional single from the album. The song was one of the most-requested out of all the album's tracks. It was originally recorded by Filipino hip-hop legend Francis Magalona
. The song was released only to radio after gaining airplay on TV shows from various channels, even before its official release. Like the first single, no music video was shot for "Cold Summer Nights", proving lack of support from Warner. "I'm Yours" was released in May 2010 as the first commercial single from the album. The song was originally recorded by Jason Mraz
, and it is the only upbeat single from the album. In April 2010, Warner held a sing-along
contest
for Nina fans and the winner got the chance to be in the single's music video. However, the single had no promotion, since Nina has departed from Warner to Universal Records
during its release. Nina only launched the single on ASAP XV
, performing the song during the "ASAP Sessionistas" segment on May 2, 2010. The music video barely featured Nina, and just showed some of her pictures from the Renditions of the Soul album photo shoot. It can be viewed on Warner Music Philippines' official YouTube
channel.
and TV5 throughout late 2009 up to early 2010.
On August 28, 2009, Nina performed the fan-favorite and Rannie Raymundo hit "Why Can't It Be" on the ASAP Sessionistas first ever major concert, held at the Araneta Coliseum
. On October 11, 2009, she sang the album's lead single, "She's Out of My Life", on ASAP '09
, during the "Sessionistas" segment where her album Nina Live! was awarded a 10× Platinum (Diamond) certification for outstanding sales of nearly 300,000 units in the Philippines
. She was crying all the way through her performance, explaining that it was because of too much happiness for her achievement. On October 14, 2009, she performed "Go the Distance" on the Greenology mall show at Greenbelt
, Makati City
. On October 23, 2009, she also performed "Why Can't It Be" on the ASAP Sessionistas major concert, live at the Waterfront Cebu City
Hotel and Casino. On November 7, 2009, she also performed "She's Out of My Life" on the ASAP Sessionistas first ever U.S. tour. The show was held at the San Jose Civic Auditorium
, California
. On November 15, 2009, she performed the same song, live at the Queen's College Colden Auditorium, New York
, still, as part of the U.S. tour. On January 30, 2010, she performed "Why Can't It Be" during her 19 East bar gig, when the song was requested by the audience on that night. On May 2, 2010, she launched the album's first commercial single, "I'm Yours", on ASAP XV, despite departing from Warner to her new record label Universal at the time of the song's release.
, the album was nominated for Pop Album, and Nina was nominated for Pop Female Artist, but she lost both awards. It won the Best Album category on the first ever Wave 89.1 Urban Music Awards
in 2009, where she received four nominations—including Best Female Soul/R&B Artist (which she lost to Amber
), Female Style Icon Award (which she lost to Kat of Sinosikat?
) and Best Remake for "She's Out of My Life" (which lost to "Spend My Life with You
" by Thor and Amber). On the 2010 Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation Box-Office Entertainment Awards, she was awarded the Best Female Recording Artist for outstanding sales of her albums in the whole year of 2009. The album also earned her the most (seven) nominations on the second PMPC Star Awards for Music in 2010. She won Female Pop Artist of the Year, but lost the Female Recording Artist of the Year to Sarah Geronimo
, Pop Album of the Year to Erik Santos
' The Jim Brickman Songbook, Acoustic Album and Female Acoustic Artist of the Year awards to Aiza Seguerra
's Live album and Revival Album of the Year to Piolo Pascual
's Decades. Kris Aquino
's album Blessings of Love, on which she is part of, was also nominated for Compilation Album of the Year. On the 2010 ASAP Pop Viewer's Choice Awards, Renditions of the Soul was nominated for Pop Album, but lost the award to Geronimo's Music and Me. On the second Wave 89.1 Urban Music Awards in 2010, Nina received three nominations including Best Female Soul/R&B Artist, Best Album for Renditions of the Soul and Club DJ of the Year. She won Best Album for the second time, and was given a Special Achievement Award for her notable contributions in the OPM industry including the Diamond award she earned with Nina Live!.
Despite earning Nina numerous nominations on different organizations, the album failed to have a nomination on any category of Awit Awards
, making 2010 the only year that she was not listed on the Awit Awards in her eight-year career in the music industry.
List of awards and nominations
.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
singer Nina
Nina Girado
Marifil Niña Girado , better known by her stage name Nina, is a Filipino pop/R&B singer, occasional songwriter, record producer, TV and radio personality. She made her recording debut in 2002 after signing a recording contract with Warner Music Philippines...
, released in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
on August 27, 2009 by Warner Music
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
. The album contains a selection of the most requested songs from her "all-male hits special" weekly acoustic radio show of the same title, which aired on Wave 89.1
WAVE 89.1
DWAV, broadcasting as Wave 891, is a music FM station owned and operated by Blockbuster Broadcasting System, Inc. in the Philippines. The station's studio is located at the Strata 2000 Bldg., Ortigas Center, Pasig City, with its transmitter located along the Coca-Cola Plant at Roosevelt Avenue, San...
during Friday and Sunday evenings. The idea and concept of the project came from Nina herself, and she approached the station's manager to carry it out. She is co-executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
of the album, with Warner head manager Jim Baluyut, and produced all the tracks herself (a first time for the singer). All the tracks are the actual recordings from Nina's Renditions of the Soul radio sessions.
Upon release, the album received positive response from music critics who stated that Nina's voice fits perfectly to each song. In 2010, she won Best Female Recording Artist on the Box Office Entertainment Awards, where the Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation named her as the best-selling female recording artist of 2009—having sold 100,000 copies of her Nina Live!
Nina Live!
Nina Live! is a live album and the third album by Filipino singer Nina, released in the Philippines on February 23, 2005 by Warner Music. The original release date for the album was scheduled on February 22, 2005, but it was moved a day later due to preparation...
, Nina Sings the Hits of Diane Warren
Nina Sings the Hits of Diane Warren
Nina Sings the Hits of Diane Warren is the fourth studio album by Filipino singer Nina, released in the Philippines on July 25, 2008 by Warner Music. It is a cover album consisting of Nina's renditions of familiar love songs written by American songwriter Diane Warren...
and Renditions of the Soul albums. Additionally, the album was surprisingly a commercial hit. Despite having the least promotion, it managed to reach Platinum by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI) in July 2010, denoting 20,000 units sold. In December 2010, it became one of the best-sellers in the country during Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
season.
Three singles were released from the album. "She's Out of My Life
She's Out of My Life
"She's Out of My Life" is a song written by musical artist Tom Bahler. Although it has been claimed that Bahler wrote the song about Karen Carpenter, Bahler stated, "The fact is, I had already written that song by the time Karen and I became romantic. That song was written more about Rhonda Rivera...
" was the first official single. It did not have a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
to be solicited to music channels, and therefore, lacked promotion. The second single was "Cold Summer Nights", originally recorded by Francis Magalona
Francis Magalona
Francis Michael Durango Magalona , also known as FrancisM, Master Rapper, MC The Mouth and The Man From Manila, was a Filipino rapper, entrepreneur, songwriter, producer, actor, director, and photographer. He was the first Filipino rapper in the Philippines to cross over to the mainstream...
. Like the first single, it was not given enough promotion, but it managed to pick up airplay on TV and radio. "I'm Yours
I'm Yours (Jason Mraz song)
"I'm Yours" is the first single released by Jason Mraz from his third studio album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The song was originally released on a limited edition EP called Extra Credit as a demo in 2005 to promote his second studio album Mr. A–Z. It was performed in his 2004 and 2005...
" was released as the third and last single off the album. Unlike the two releases, it had a music video that came up from Warner's Nina sing-along contest. Since, Nina has left the label during the time, she had no participation on the video's release.
Background
Since Nina entered the Philippine music industry in 2000, she has been known for doing cover versions of popular classic hits. In 2002, her debut album HeavenHeaven (Nina Girado album)
Heaven is the debut studio album by Filipino singer Nina, released in the Philippines on August 20, 2002 by Warner Music. The album is heavily influenced by jazzy lounge pop-R&B and composed of songs that are reminiscent to the sound of international records at that time. Under the direction of...
was released along with two chart-topping singles, "Foolish Heart" and "Loving You
Loving You (Nina Girado song)
"Loving You" is a song by Filipino singer Nina from her 2002 debut album Heaven. It was released as the album's fourth and final commercial single in the Philippines in October 2003 by Warner Music Philippines. The song was written by Gerry Paraiso, and produced by Ferdie Marquez. It is a...
", which are both revivals. Aside from performing well commercially, both singles were critically acclaimed. In 2003, she covered three more songs on her second studio album Smile
Smile (Nina Girado album)
Smile is the second studio album by Filipino singer Nina, released in the Philippines on December 12, 2003 by Warner Music. The album was a follow-up to the tremendous success of her debut album. It resembles the same sound from its predecessor, but only bigger and bolder in terms of incorporating...
, namely "A Girl Can Dream", "Shoo-Bee-Doo" and "I'll Always Stay in Love This Way". "A Girl Can Dream" was released as an official single, while the other two were released as radio-only singles due to warm reception. In 2005, Nina proved herself as the great cover-girl, when she released her first live
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
cover album Nina Live!
Nina Live!
Nina Live! is a live album and the third album by Filipino singer Nina, released in the Philippines on February 23, 2005 by Warner Music. The original release date for the album was scheduled on February 22, 2005, but it was moved a day later due to preparation...
. The album was a huge commercial success, certifying Diamond by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI). The album's lead single, "Love Moves in Mysterious Ways", also became her most successful single when it topped the charts for twelve consecutive weeks in record time. In 2006, her self-titled album was released and it contains two revivals, namely "I Can't Make You Love Me" and "Love Is Contagious". Both songs received positive response from critics. The album was then re-issued in 2007, containing a second disc of Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
classic songs. The re-issue showcases Nina's renditions of Manilow hits such as "Somewhere Down the Road
Somewhere Down the Road (Barry Manilow song)
"Somewhere Down the Road" is a popular song written by Cynthia Weil and Tom Snow and most famously recorded in 1981 by Barry Manilow. Weil wrote the song's lyrics and Snow wrote the melody.-Release:...
" and "If I Should Love Again
If I Should Love Again
If I Should Love Again is the eighth studio album released by singer and songwriter Barry Manilow. The album was recorded at United Western Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California...
". In 2008, she released her second cover album entitled Nina Sings the Hits of Diane Warren
Nina Sings the Hits of Diane Warren
Nina Sings the Hits of Diane Warren is the fourth studio album by Filipino singer Nina, released in the Philippines on July 25, 2008 by Warner Music. It is a cover album consisting of Nina's renditions of familiar love songs written by American songwriter Diane Warren...
, wherein she took on Warren-penned ballads. She released "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing
I Don't Want to Miss a Thing
"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" is a song performed by American rock band Aerosmith for the 1998 film Armageddon. Written by Diane Warren, the song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 . The song stayed at number one for four weeks from September 5 to September 26, 1998...
" and "There You'll Be
There You'll Be
"There You'll Be" is a song by Faith Hill, which became a hit single in 2001. Written by Diane Warren and Alan Menken, known for his Disney film scores such as "The Little Mermaid", "Beauty and the Beast", "Aladdin", "Pocahontas" and "Tangled", it was featured on the Pearl Harbor soundtrack...
" as commercial singles.
Development and recording
In 2008, Nina hosted an "all-male hits" special weekly acoustic radio show on Wave 89.1
WAVE 89.1
DWAV, broadcasting as Wave 891, is a music FM station owned and operated by Blockbuster Broadcasting System, Inc. in the Philippines. The station's studio is located at the Strata 2000 Bldg., Ortigas Center, Pasig City, with its transmitter located along the Coca-Cola Plant at Roosevelt Avenue, San...
radio station, entitled Renditions of the Soul. It aired during Friday and Sunday evenings. The show's concept is about the Soul Siren, singing the most-requested songs that were originally performed and recorded by male artists, may it be local or foreign. Nina conceptualized the show herself, saying "They [listeners] send their requests. Some send letters along with the requests and binabasa ko rin ‘yun [I also read them]." She added that the station's manager is her friend, and that she is glad that he approved on her idea. Each night of the show has its respective theme or concept, where Nina sings songs that are related to each other—may it be originally recorded and performed by the same artist or may it have one lyrical content and plot. Some nights of the show just featured request letters and mails from fans and listeners, where she reads and later, performs them. Nina described how the album became a reflection of herself in the following statement:
"I can say that the songs I sing in my albums very much represent who I am... Because when I sing songs, I try to make it my own even if it was done originally by another artist."
The radio show had a long run, airing on the station for approximately three years; from 2008—2010. Every evening episode has its respective conception, where the songs are either requests from fans, sung originally by the same artist, or have similar lyrical stories. Nina's cover of "Can't Find the Words to Say Goodbye", a song originally recorded in two different versions by David Gates
David Gates
David Gates is an American singer-songwriter, best known as the lead singer of the group Bread, which reached the tops of the musical charts in Europe and North America on several occasions in the 1970s. The band was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame...
and Billy Dean
Billy Dean
William Harold "Billy" Dean, Jr. is an American country music singer and songwriter. Billy Dean first gained national attention after appearing on the television talent competition Star Search...
who both wrote and composed it, aired on February 29, 2008. Her version was described as the "classiest, most polished reinvention" along with the less familiar tune of the Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
original, "Never Again". The "Justin Timberlake Night" episode aired on May 29, 2009. She performed "What Goes Around... Comes Around" and "Until the End of Time
Until the End of Time (Justin Timberlake song)
"Until the End of Time" is an R&B song performed by Justin Timberlake, and written by Timberlake, Tim Mosley, and Nate Hills. The song was the fifth track to be released from Timberlake's second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds...
" alongside "Never Again". Like Timberlake's version, she performed "Never Again" in an acoustic piano arrangement. She admits that it is one of her favorite songs. In an April 25, 2008 episode, she performed songs that were requested by listeners. One song that was included in the album was "Half Crazy", originally by Johnny Gill
Johnny Gill
Johnny Gill is an American R&B singer-songwriter. He is the sixth and final member of the R&B supergroup New Edition, and was also a member of another supergroup called LSG; with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat. His signature song "My, My, My" has been included on numerous romantic...
. She recorded it along with "P.D.A. (We Just Don't Care)
P.D.A. (We Just Don't Care)
"P.D.A. " is the third single released from John Legend's second album Once Again . The song was released in early 2007....
" by John Legend
John Legend
John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...
.". "Real Thing", a Kalapana original, was recorded a few days earlier on April 11, 2008. On May 1, 2009, she recorded "Go the Distance
Go the Distance
"Go the Distance" is a song written by Alan Menken and David Zippel, taken from the 1997 Disney animated feature Hercules. It was performed by Roger Bart in the film and by Michael Bolton in the end credits...
" alongside the Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
original, "You'll Be in My Heart
You'll Be in My Heart
"You'll Be in My Heart" is a song by Phil Collins, from the 1999 Disney animated feature Tarzan. It appeared on Tarzan: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack as well as various other Disney compilations...
".
Critical reception
Without any commercial promotion, Renditions of the Soul managed to peak inside the top five all retailer charts in the Philippines, staying there for months. Aside from its commercial success, the radio show and the album itself were well-received by music critics and listeners. Rito Asilo of The Philippine Daily InquirerPhilippine Daily Inquirer
The Philippine Daily Inquirer, popularly known as the Inquirer, is the most widely read broadsheet newspaper in the Philippines, with a daily circulation of 260,000 copies. It is one of the Philippines' newspapers of record...
gave the album a positive review, noticing the more unplugged sound delivered by it. He praised four songs—the covers of Justin Timberlake's acoustic ballad "Never Again", Robin Thicke
Robin Thicke
Robin Charles Thicke is an Award-winning American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. Thicke's albums, which he previously released under the moniker Thicke, are noted for their feature of a predominantly R&B sound. Robin Thicke has penned hits for popular artists such as...
's pop hit "Lost Without U
Lost Without U
"Lost Without U" is the second official single released from Robin Thicke's second album The Evolution of Robin Thicke .-Writing and inspiration:...
", Bread
Bread (band)
Bread was a rock band from Los Angeles, California. They placed 13 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart between 1970 and 1977 and were a prime example of what later was labeled soft rock....
's classic hit "Can't Find the Words to Say Goodbye" and Rannie Raymundo's OPM hit "Why Can't It Be"—saying "it’s the less familiar tunes [...] that get the classiest, most polished reinventions." Manila Bulletin
Manila Bulletin
The Manila Bulletin , is the Philippines' largest broadsheet newspaper by circulation, followed by the Philippine Daily Inquirer. It bills itself as "The Nation's Leading Newspaper", which is its official slogan...
gave the album a similarly positive review, stating "The 17-track album is more emotionally subtle, yet the songs just have as equally powerful messages like her previous hits [...] Nina’s singing perfectly renders the message of every selection: Love, longing and the purity of emotional surrender."
Singles
"She's Out of My Life" was released on August 14, 2009 as the first single from Renditions of the Soul. According to Nina, all of the songs in the album were candidates in selection for the lead single. Despite a large number of choices, the song managed to be chosen by Warner as the first single due to warm positive reception by critics and listeners. The song was originally recorded by Michael JacksonMichael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, and it is lyrically intended for a male singer. However, when Nina covered the song, she altered the title line "she's out of my life" into "he's out of my life," making an entirely female-perspective version of the song. Despite her alteration on the song's title, the original title was kept in the copy prints. The song had no music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, defining lack of promotion for the album. Since then, it was only considered to be a promotional single. Prior to the release of the album, Nina has performed the song in various TV appearances.
"Cold Summer Nights" was released in February 2010 as the second promotional single from the album. The song was one of the most-requested out of all the album's tracks. It was originally recorded by Filipino hip-hop legend Francis Magalona
Francis Magalona
Francis Michael Durango Magalona , also known as FrancisM, Master Rapper, MC The Mouth and The Man From Manila, was a Filipino rapper, entrepreneur, songwriter, producer, actor, director, and photographer. He was the first Filipino rapper in the Philippines to cross over to the mainstream...
. The song was released only to radio after gaining airplay on TV shows from various channels, even before its official release. Like the first single, no music video was shot for "Cold Summer Nights", proving lack of support from Warner. "I'm Yours" was released in May 2010 as the first commercial single from the album. The song was originally recorded by Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz , also known as Mr. AZ and Mr. Raz, is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy ", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, "Mr. A-Z", in 2005, that Mraz achieved...
, and it is the only upbeat single from the album. In April 2010, Warner held a sing-along
Sing-along
Sing-along, community singing, group singing, is an event of singing together at gatherings or parties, less formally than choir singing. One can use a songbook. Common genres are folk songs, patriotic songs, hymns and drinking songs...
contest
Contest
A contest is an event in which at least two teams or individuals compete. There may be an award to a winner or awards for multiple top performers, but a contest may be imposed for training...
for Nina fans and the winner got the chance to be in the single's music video. However, the single had no promotion, since Nina has departed from Warner to Universal Records
Universal Records (Philippines)
Universal Records Philippines Inc. is a Filipino record label founded in 1977 as a part of Warner Music Group. Since 1992, it became independent.-History:URPI was founded in 1977 as WEA Records Philippines Inc...
during its release. Nina only launched the single on ASAP XV
ASAP (variety show)
ASAP Rocks is a musical variety show in the Philippines broadcast by ABS-CBN in the Philippines. The show is presented by its main hosts Zsa Zsa Padilla, Gary Valenciano and Martin Nievera. The show first premiered on February 5, 1995, and airs live Sundays...
, performing the song during the "ASAP Sessionistas" segment on May 2, 2010. The music video barely featured Nina, and just showed some of her pictures from the Renditions of the Soul album photo shoot. It can be viewed on Warner Music Philippines' official YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel.
Promotion
Aside from promoting the album on her own radio show of the same title, Nina has performed Renditions of the Souls songs in her local and international major concerts, bar gigs, mall shows and TV appearances. In addition, the second single "Cold Summer Nights" was used as background music on various TV shows aired by GMA NetworkGMA Network
GMA Network is a major commercial television & radio network in the Philippines. GMA Network is owned by GMA Network, Inc. a publicly listed company...
and TV5 throughout late 2009 up to early 2010.
On August 28, 2009, Nina performed the fan-favorite and Rannie Raymundo hit "Why Can't It Be" on the ASAP Sessionistas first ever major concert, held at the Araneta Coliseum
Araneta Coliseum
The Smart Araneta Coliseum, known as The Big Dome is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena located in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines...
. On October 11, 2009, she sang the album's lead single, "She's Out of My Life", on ASAP '09
ASAP (variety show)
ASAP Rocks is a musical variety show in the Philippines broadcast by ABS-CBN in the Philippines. The show is presented by its main hosts Zsa Zsa Padilla, Gary Valenciano and Martin Nievera. The show first premiered on February 5, 1995, and airs live Sundays...
, during the "Sessionistas" segment where her album Nina Live! was awarded a 10× Platinum (Diamond) certification for outstanding sales of nearly 300,000 units in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. She was crying all the way through her performance, explaining that it was because of too much happiness for her achievement. On October 14, 2009, she performed "Go the Distance" on the Greenology mall show at Greenbelt
Greenbelt (Ayala Center)
Greenbelt is a shopping mall located at Ayala Center, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines which is just near Glorietta and SM Makati. It is owned by Ayala Malls, a real-estate subsidiary of Ayala Land, which is an affiliate of Ayala Corporation. It opened in the 1980s and it is one of Ayala...
, Makati City
Makati City
The City of Makati is one of the 17 cities that make up Metro Manila, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines and one of the major financial, commercial and economic hubs in Asia...
. On October 23, 2009, she also performed "Why Can't It Be" on the ASAP Sessionistas major concert, live at the Waterfront Cebu City
Cebu City
The City of Cebu is the capital city of Cebu and is the second largest city in the Philippines, the second most significant metropolitan centre in the Philippines and known as the oldest settlement established by the Spaniards in the country.The city is located on the eastern shore of Cebu and was...
Hotel and Casino. On November 7, 2009, she also performed "She's Out of My Life" on the ASAP Sessionistas first ever U.S. tour. The show was held at the San Jose Civic Auditorium
San Jose Civic Auditorium
San Jose Civic Auditorium, known as the San Jose Civic, is a sports arena and concert venue, located in downtown San Jose, California. The 3,000-seat venue is owned by the City of San Jose, is managed by Team San Jose and is booked by Nederlander Concerts.It was created through a joint venture...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. On November 15, 2009, she performed the same song, live at the Queen's College Colden Auditorium, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, still, as part of the U.S. tour. On January 30, 2010, she performed "Why Can't It Be" during her 19 East bar gig, when the song was requested by the audience on that night. On May 2, 2010, she launched the album's first commercial single, "I'm Yours", on ASAP XV, despite departing from Warner to her new record label Universal at the time of the song's release.
Awards and accolades
Renditions of the Soul is the most nominated and one of the most awarded albums ever released by Nina. On the 2009 ASAP Pop Viewer's Choice AwardsASAP (variety show)
ASAP Rocks is a musical variety show in the Philippines broadcast by ABS-CBN in the Philippines. The show is presented by its main hosts Zsa Zsa Padilla, Gary Valenciano and Martin Nievera. The show first premiered on February 5, 1995, and airs live Sundays...
, the album was nominated for Pop Album, and Nina was nominated for Pop Female Artist, but she lost both awards. It won the Best Album category on the first ever Wave 89.1 Urban Music Awards
WAVE 89.1
DWAV, broadcasting as Wave 891, is a music FM station owned and operated by Blockbuster Broadcasting System, Inc. in the Philippines. The station's studio is located at the Strata 2000 Bldg., Ortigas Center, Pasig City, with its transmitter located along the Coca-Cola Plant at Roosevelt Avenue, San...
in 2009, where she received four nominations—including Best Female Soul/R&B Artist (which she lost to Amber
Amber Rowley
Amber Alejo Rowley Davis , simply known as Amber, is a Filipino-American singer.- Early life :Amber was born to Gary and Cecilia Rowley...
), Female Style Icon Award (which she lost to Kat of Sinosikat?
Sinosikat?
SinoSikat? is a Filipino band that started September 2004, performing music influenced by a number of musical genres, but which has been described as "Pinoy Soul," reflecting a recent expansion of genres active within the Philippine music industry...
) and Best Remake for "She's Out of My Life" (which lost to "Spend My Life with You
Spend My Life With You
"Spend My Life with You" is a Grammy-nominated R&B song by R&B singer Eric Benét, featuring R&B singer Tamia. Released as the second single from Benét's second studio album A Day in the Life, the song spent three weeks at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and was...
" by Thor and Amber). On the 2010 Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation Box-Office Entertainment Awards, she was awarded the Best Female Recording Artist for outstanding sales of her albums in the whole year of 2009. The album also earned her the most (seven) nominations on the second PMPC Star Awards for Music in 2010. She won Female Pop Artist of the Year, but lost the Female Recording Artist of the Year to Sarah Geronimo
Sarah Gerónimo
Sarah Asher Tua Geronimo is a Filipino recording artist, actress and dancer. Geronimo started her career appearing in children's variety shows such as Pen-pen de Sarapen, Ang TV and NEXT...
, Pop Album of the Year to Erik Santos
Erik Santos
Rhoderick Ramos Santos , more commonly known as simply Erik Santos, is a Filipino singer, actor, TV host, commercial model, and the winner of the ABS-CBN program Star In A Million Season 1 in January 2004.-Early life:...
' The Jim Brickman Songbook, Acoustic Album and Female Acoustic Artist of the Year awards to Aiza Seguerra
Aiza Seguerra
Cariza Yamson Seguerra better known as Aiza Seguerra is a Filipino actress, singer-songwriter and guitarist. She traces her roots from Calauag, Quezon....
's Live album and Revival Album of the Year to Piolo Pascual
Piolo Pascual
Piolo Jose Pascual is a Filipino film and television actor, musician, model, and producer.-Biography:...
's Decades. Kris Aquino
Kris Aquino
Kristina Bernadette Cojuangco Aquino , commonly known as Kris Aquino, is a Filipino television and movie personality who gained prominence from her talk shows, game shows, and numerous endorsements. Known as the Queen of All Media and Philippines' Queen of Talk, she is the youngest daughter of...
's album Blessings of Love, on which she is part of, was also nominated for Compilation Album of the Year. On the 2010 ASAP Pop Viewer's Choice Awards, Renditions of the Soul was nominated for Pop Album, but lost the award to Geronimo's Music and Me. On the second Wave 89.1 Urban Music Awards in 2010, Nina received three nominations including Best Female Soul/R&B Artist, Best Album for Renditions of the Soul and Club DJ of the Year. She won Best Album for the second time, and was given a Special Achievement Award for her notable contributions in the OPM industry including the Diamond award she earned with Nina Live!.
Despite earning Nina numerous nominations on different organizations, the album failed to have a nomination on any category of Awit Awards
Awit Awards
The Awit Awards is the longest-running award-giving body of the Philippines that gives recognition to Filipino musical talents, performing artists and producers it was Philippines equivalent to Grammy Awards, organized by the Philippine Association Of The Record Industry .-Objectives and Winner...
, making 2010 the only year that she was not listed on the Awit Awards in her eight-year career in the music industry.
List of awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | ASAP Pop Viewer's Choice Awards ASAP (variety show) ASAP Rocks is a musical variety show in the Philippines broadcast by ABS-CBN in the Philippines. The show is presented by its main hosts Zsa Zsa Padilla, Gary Valenciano and Martin Nievera. The show first premiered on February 5, 1995, and airs live Sundays... |
Pop Female Artist | |
| Pop Album (Renditions of the Soul) | |||
| Wave 89.1 Urban Music Awards WAVE 89.1 DWAV, broadcasting as Wave 891, is a music FM station owned and operated by Blockbuster Broadcasting System, Inc. in the Philippines. The station's studio is located at the Strata 2000 Bldg., Ortigas Center, Pasig City, with its transmitter located along the Coca-Cola Plant at Roosevelt Avenue, San... |
Best Female Soul/R&B Artist | ||
| Best Album (Renditions of the Soul) | |||
| Best Remake ("She's Out of My Life She's Out of My Life "She's Out of My Life" is a song written by musical artist Tom Bahler. Although it has been claimed that Bahler wrote the song about Karen Carpenter, Bahler stated, "The fact is, I had already written that song by the time Karen and I became romantic. That song was written more about Rhonda Rivera... ") |
|||
| 2010 | ASAP Pop Viewer's Choice Awards | Pop Album (Renditions of the Soul) | |
| GMMSF Box-Office Entertainment Awards | Best Female Recording Artist | ||
| PMPC Star Awards for Music | Female Recording Artist of the Year | ||
| Pop Album of the Year (Renditions of the Soul) | |||
| Female Pop Artist of the Year | |||
| Acoustic Album of the Year (Renditions of the Soul) | |||
| Female Acoustic Artist of the Year | |||
| Revival Album of the Year (Renditions of the Soul) | |||
| Wave 89.1 Urban Music Awards | Best Female Soul/R&B Artist | ||
| Best Album (Renditions of the Soul) | |||
| Club DJ of the Year | |||
| Special Achievement Award | |||
Track listing
All tracks were produced by NinaNina Girado
Marifil Niña Girado , better known by her stage name Nina, is a Filipino pop/R&B singer, occasional songwriter, record producer, TV and radio personality. She made her recording debut in 2002 after signing a recording contract with Warner Music Philippines...
.
Personnel
Credits taken from Renditions of the Souls liner notes.- Chen Aurelio – pictorial coordinator
- Jim Baluyut – executive producer
- Joseph De Vera – cover layout
- Elaine Ganuelas (for L'Oreal ProfessionnelL'Oréal ProfessionnelL'Oréal Professionnel is a brand of the professional products division of L'Oréal Group.L'Oréal Professionnel offers a range of professional hair color, forme, styling and home haircare products. The products are divided into two categories: in-salon and home care products...
) – hair styling - Nina GiradoNina GiradoMarifil Niña Girado , better known by her stage name Nina, is a Filipino pop/R&B singer, occasional songwriter, record producer, TV and radio personality. She made her recording debut in 2002 after signing a recording contract with Warner Music Philippines...
– executive producer, album producer, lead vocals - Neil Gregorio – A&R administration, sequencing and mastering
- Jasmine Mendiola (for Glominerals) – make-up
- Daniel Tan – photography
- Joey Valverde – pictorial coordinator
- Vocals and music recorded at Wave 89.1WAVE 89.1DWAV, broadcasting as Wave 891, is a music FM station owned and operated by Blockbuster Broadcasting System, Inc. in the Philippines. The station's studio is located at the Strata 2000 Bldg., Ortigas Center, Pasig City, with its transmitter located along the Coca-Cola Plant at Roosevelt Avenue, San...
Studio (Pasig CityPasig CityThe City of Pasig is one of the city municipalities of Metro Manila in the Philippines and was the former capital of the province of Rizal prior to the formation of this grouping of cities designated as the National Capital Region...
, PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
) - Sequenced and mastered at Chili Red Studio
Certifications
| Country | Provider | Certification | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philippines Philippines The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam... |
PARI PHIL Music The Philippine Association of the Record Industry or PARI is the Philippine equivalent to the American RIAA.The Philippine Association of the Record Industry , a non-profit, non-stock, purely private industry organization, was organized in 1972.-Objectives:* To promote and develop a legitimate and... |
Platinum | 25,000+ |