Nina is the third studio album by Filipina singer Nina, released in the Philippines on August 23, 2006, by Warner Music Philippines. After the success of her cover album Nina Live!, Nina released an mostly-original studio album as a follow-up. The album debuted at number 19 on the Philippine Albums Chart then it peaked at number 9, staying on the chart into 2007. Nina stated that the album showcases her true self as an artist. Nina recaptures the sound of her first two albums, but only bigger and broader in terms of genre. It consists mostly of "toned-down" songs that were sung in a "soft, near-whispery volume." The project marked the first time that she worked with Jim Baluyut as the new executive of the label. The production also featured international songwriters Walter Afanasieff, Matthew Gerrard and Harvey Mason, Jr.
The idea of recording an all-original album came up when Nyoy Volante wrote two ballad love songs for Nina. She called the songs "beautiful and inspiring," that she ended up recording an album of original songs. She also described Volante to be "very instrumental" in the direction they took for the album. Another reason on why the label departed from the Nina Live! concept is that they did not feel it is right to give the fans two cover albums in a row. Instead, they did the opposite—an all-original studio album which showcases Nina's more delicate, "chill-out" sound—leaving a part of her diva persona behind. The album was originally scheduled to be released in the summer of 2006, but was moved due to conflicts with her scheduled concerts in the United States.
Upon release, Nina received the most positive reviews and the highest critical ratings among Nina albums, with Titik Pilipino calling her "more refined, polished." On January 30, 2007, the album was made available on digital download through iTunes and Amazon.com MP3 Download. It did not equal the commercial success of Nina Live!, but it managed to reach Gold status by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI) in 2006. In 2007, the album was certified Platinum and earned awards from different organizations. Due to the album's critical and commercial success, Warner decided to re-release it in a special limited edition, featuring the hits of Barry Manilow. The re-release earned three singles, on which the two became commercial hits.
Four singles were released from the album. "Araw Mo", a birthday song that was used for the promotion of Goldilocks' 40 Thoughtful Years Anniversary, was included in the album as a bonus track. The first official single, "I Do", was released along with the album and it managed to pick up substantial airplay. It didn't equal the success of Nina's previous singles, however. "Someday" was released as the album's second single. The song later achieved international success, being covered by popular Southeast Asian artists. "I Can't Make You Love Me", a Bonnie Raitt original, was the last commercial single which quickly became a radio favorite, topping radio charts in the country. "Love Is Contagious", a Taja Sevelle original, is the other cover in the album and later, received limited rotation on radio.
Background and conception
In 2000, six years before the production of the album, Nina sent a demo to Warner Music's record label, and was immediately signed up without personal contact and interaction with Ricky Ilacad, the label's managing director at that time. With her powerful rendition of "Foolish Heart", the label knew that it got itself a major pop superstar. After only four years since she released her first single "Heaven" in 2002, it was then followed by three certified multi-platinum albums—with two of them reaching number one, and countless sold-out concerts. After all the success, she felt that she has made it in the music industry by showcasing her own style of music, and wanted to pour out everything to the album. The album was supposed to be released in early summer of 2006, but it was shelved due to conflict with her scheduled shows in the United States. In May 2006, Nyoy Volante, her boyfriend at that time, was reported to have participated in the production of the album, writing a song dubbed as "I Need Your Love". The two were even said to have been wanting to record a duet together.
No other female OPM artist could match her all-around mastery of pop, R&B. jazz and soul. While others limit themselves to just R&B, ballads, acoustic tributes or the occasional remake, Nina has done a lot more, and she wanted to show it in the album. Her 2005 box-office certified Diamond album Nina Live! is composed of revivals that were recorded live. As a follow-up, she wanted to release a completely different record, an all-original studio album. In an interview, she stated "After Nina Live! last year, people were expecting another all-remakes album. We didn't go that way because we didn't feel it's right to give them two in a row. Besides, I don't want to be typecast as a covers artist." She left her diva side on her third album and worked on a new "toned-down" sound, focusing on the interpretation of the songs rather than the vocal acrobatics. She wanted her self-titled fourth album to be perfect and to capture the singer that she really is.
Writing and composition
Nina is considered to be an all-original album, containing only two revival songs. Nina admitted that the album's direction is opposite to its predecessor, saying "I admit it was a conscious move to veer away from doing covers this time around. Although I am very thankful for the success of the previous album, as an artist I want to try a lot of other things." The album covers a wide range of genre—from a collection of pop, jazzes and R&B to tiny bits of acoustic ballads. Unlike her commercial achievement Nina Live!, which shows Nina's diva persona, the album shows a different unseen side of the singer, giving way to a "more delicate, chill-out, toned-down songstress." It consists mostly of songs that were sung in a soft, "near-whispery" volume evoking a hotel lounge-level of intimacy.
Nina's upper-pitch trajectories are not present on several songs of the album, since only a few of them feature her high vocal belting. So as her whistle register, since the only song that includes her whistling is the upbeat track, "I Do". The song was written by Joleen Belle, Michael Jay, Carsten Lindberg Hansen and Joachim Svare. When it was released as the first commercial single of the album, fans translated the song's title as her sweet answer to her boyfriend at that time, Nyoy Volante, but Nina declined. "Ooh Boy", also penned by Belle, is like the continuation of "I Do", with the same arrangement and a catchier refrain. Both songs were mixed by Ferdie Marquez. Volante and Bobby Velasco worked on the two ballads, "I Need Your Love" and "Someday". "I Need Your Love" has an acoustic-bossa nova arrangement handed by Velasco, and uses chime sound effects. The song was sung by Nina as if she was whispering. It starts with lonesome lyrics, but turns to a positive feeling midway. "Someday" has an optimistic plot as so. It tells a story of a woman who was left by her lover, but still hopes for someone to come and love her even more. The arrangement and music was entirely recorded by Velasco using an acoustic piano. The song was originally planned for one of Volante's albums, but he gave it to Nina instead, saying "I actually wrote "Someday" for one of my albums bago ko ito binigay sa kanya [before I gave it to her]." It later became one of the most-loved OPM ballads. It also shows how Nina produces number-one original hits, as described by Warner in the following statement: "Nina's musical power should not be underestimated. Her detractors believed her career will go downtrend after the euphoria she made over her revival of a Julia Fordham song. She never relies on a cover version for a hit. Earlier in her career, she created waves with the huge original hit, "Jealous" which her followers have not forgotten up to this day. And she is presently creating a new chart-topper with "Someday"."
Songwriter Andrew Fromm, who penned Christian Bautista's ballad hit "The Way You Look at Me", also lent his songwriting skills on Nina's eponymous album. He composed "I Didn't Mean to Make You Mine" with Walter Afanasieff (who has worked with international acts like Mariah Carey). "Where Is Love" was co-written by Matthew Gerrard, who is known for writing Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway". The song's arrangement and Nina's delivery are reminiscent of Carey's famous "breathy cooing." "I Can't Make You Love Me" is one of the two covers. Its arrangement is "softer and more delicate." It features simple, straightforward singing with guitar strumming in the background, and a last stanza that's transposed twice to show off the singer's stratospheric vocal range. "Araw Mo", a birthday song that was used to promote Goldilocks, was included as a bonus track. It has a distinctively Filipino tune, with soft delivery by Nina and a non-noisy acoustic background music by Noel Mendez. Darwin Concepcion later added percussion instruments to the song. The album is notable for being one of the few physical releases in the Philippines that contain a gold standard compact disc.
Critical reception
Nina was a universal acclaim, receiving the most favorable reviews and the highest ratings among all Nina albums at the time. Resty Odon of Titik Pilipino gave the album four out of five stars, stating "Nina does almost everything right, as far as my ears are concerned. She's more refined, polished." He praised the singer's cover version of "I Can't Make You Love Me" and the new original song, "What If", by saying that she made it "seem effortless." However, Odon questioned the presence of Goldilocks theme song "Araw Mo", stating "What's this industry practice of throwing in the artist's TV ad jingles? I don't get it." Rito Asilo of The Philippine Daily Inquirer gave the album a positive review, describing it as a "showcase of Nina's versatility." He praised three original songs—birthday song "Araw Mo", acoustic ballad "Is It Over" and bossa-influenced "I Need Your Love"—calling them "noteworthy." He also praised "Someday" and described it as "the introspective, traffic-stopping [...] that boasts of a rich melody and Nina's emotive panache." The November—December 2006 issue of MYX Magazine contains three reviews of the album, on which all were favorable. One review by Mike Luis of Freestyle positively describes the album, with Luis saying "The mid-tempo tracks are groove-worthy, the slow jams are sexy, and the two remakes were nicely done." He praised the piano ballad, "Someday", and called it "outstanding."Mike Luis, Album Reviews, "MYX Beat", Band Love November–December 2006 In the following review, music publicist Oliver Oliveros described how well the "[Soul Siren]'s versatility and soothing vocals work on the album," praising the songs "Someday" and "Is It Over". However, he found the first two tracks, "I Do" and "Ooh Boy", to be "too Mariah-ish, complete with whistling vocal calisthenics."Oliver Oliveros, Album Reviews, "MYX Beat", Band Love November–December 2006
Commercial performance In the Philippines, Nina debuted at number nineteen on the Philippine Top 20 Albums chart, Her Nina Live! album are both charting on the chart. Then after a week it climbed on the top ten peaking at number nine on the chart. Then album fall on the chart into number twelve on its third week. The album left the chart at number twenty on the chart, it spent a total of twenty-one weeks on the chart. The album had sold 15,000 copies in 2006 being certified PARI Gold in the Philippines. Nina had been certified PARI Double Platinum in the Philippines with 60,000 copies.
Singles