In 1999, Philippine female artist
Regine Velasquez released
R2K, which, in keeping with the country's infatuation with Western popular music, consists entirely of remakes of international material. This includes interpretations of
the Beatles' "The Long and Winding Road,"
ABBA's "Dancing Queen," and
Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." "Dancing Queen" is rendered in an uplifting acoustic fashion, and
Velasquez's singing is relaxed and confident. "MacArthur Park" is given an edgy, futuristic tone, perched atop a hip-hop-styled, syncopated backbeat and also features a rap by a guest male vocalist. Other songs are more middle of the road, including "Lost Without Your Love" (composed by
David Gates of Bread), "Music and Me," and the
Marvin Hamlisch-composed "Fallin'," the latter featuring an endearing pennywhistle line played by Tots Tolention. One of the album's more dramatic moments occurs in "Music of Goodbye," which has a penetrating, edgy feel. While
Velasquez's singing is self-assured, it is also unimpressive: there is no magic in the air, nothing that makes one stand up and take notice.
Velasquez has voiced international ambitions, but as time goes by (her first album was released in 1987), it is doubtful these ambitions will ever be realized. Nonetheless,
R2K, was a very popular album, reaching platinum (40,000 units) in two weeks. In addition, the first 15,000 CD copies of
R2K came with a video compact disc (VCD) featuring six
Velasquez videos accompanying album material; this marks the first time a Philippine artist released a VCD.