Regine Velasquez

In 1994, Regine Velasquez, one of the most popular singing artists in the Philippines, released, Listen Without Prejudice. The album opens on the ballad, "In Love With You," a duet with Asian superstar Jacky Cheung. Much of the music on Listen Without Prejudice is oriented towards easy-listening love songs (a style of music quite popular in the Philippines), but there are adventurous, contemporary touches throughout, making the music more interesting.

For example, "Follow the Sun" and "We Will Be Together" work off a syncopated backbeat, almost hip-hop in nature; "We Will Be Together" contains a rap by a guest male artist. Perhaps significantly, most of the songs were written by foreigners, and not Filipinos.

One of the album's best songs is, "I Would Die for You" (not to be confused with the song by Prince from the Purple Rain album), on which Velasquez imparts a masterful, impassioned performance. On other songs, however, such as "The Moment You Were Mine" and "The Way Love's Meant to Be," she sings in a register too high for her, and her voice sounds thin.

Listen Without Prejudice sold extremely well in the Philippines. It also did quite well in various Asian countries, reaching double-platinum in Taiwan; platinum in Indonesia; and gold in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore. According to the label, subsequent Velasquez releases have not fared as well in Asia. It's reasonable to assume that Jacky Cheung's presence on the duet, "In Love with You," had much to do with the overseas success of Listen Without Prejudice. ~ David Gonzales, All Music Guide