in praise of janine berdin

Janine Berdin still got me thinking. I was so mesmerized by her winning performance yesterday on the second season of Tawag Ng Tanghalan Ang Huling Tapatan (even if that was the first time I heard her sing) that I spent the whole night watching her previous performances. Man, glad I did. It was like discovering a sterling talent, a new mineral that has yet to be named. Yes, obviously I cannot stress the superlatives enough.

I am not sure how this would affect her vocal capabilities in the future, whether this is natural or a result of her years-long stint on the stage (and family gatherings), but the crack(s) in her voice when she sings lends her renditions both mortal and ethereal qualities. It is a voice that definitely sits on another plane, at least for me. Don’t get me wrong; her competitors Steven and Ato are undeniably powerful singers but there is something in Janine’s voice that hits me differently the way my ears first heard QUEEN’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, Adele’s “Chasing Pavements”, Janelle Monáe’s “Cold War.” Perhaps it is her untarnished and optimistic passion? Her focussed drive that could easily dismantle all pretenses and pressure around her? Who knows.

I mean, just watch her cover of Kamikazee’s “Narda” on YouTube and witness how she sang that 2006 rock song and turned it into a painful, forlorn yearning. I got goosebumps, seriously. And there were her renditions of Yano’s “Banal Na Aso” and Eraserhead’s “Ang Huling El Bimbo” where she managed to interpret these iconic masterpieces without getting herself trapped into the easy allure of copy and theatricality—the two-punch combo that TKO’d lesser singers. It is like she wrote these songs herself, knew them by heart. (Honestly, some producer should compile all of her covers and make an album out of ‘em ASAP).

And she is but a little 16-year-old girl from Cebu! Now just imagine when she finally gets acquainted with all the nitty-gritty of every emotion in the spectrum. Just imagine when she finally experiences her first massive, irreversible heartbreak that usually informs and shapes the finest work of many artists. This may sound awful, but deep I inside I cannot wait to see her get through these things soon.

Okay. That’s all.

listen to your heart sing

It is unanimous that 2016 is the year of great movies, a fact which makes for a perfect salve to the 2016 that is awful, ugly, rude in real life. One of these great movies—at least for me—was Damien Chazelle’s colorfully saturated, highly-spirited musical “La La Land.” Starring Ryan Reynolds as a jazz pianist and Emma Stone as an aspiring actress, the film is said to be a love letter to old Hollywood musicals. But there is no need to be an aficionado of its variety of references and homages. If the sight of people suddenly bursting into song on a major highway is no problem for you, then you would probably enjoy this as much as you did with the television series “Glee” or Baz Luhrmann’s “Moulin Rouge!” [2001]. All you need to do to is to dive straight into the intense sincerity of Gosling’s Sebastian and Stone’s Mia, and you’d know here lies the tension. In this time and age when superheroes and the supernatural regularly invade our movie going experience, it is impressive that “La La Land” features no villain: no hysterical wine-wielding woman, no cheating boyfriend, no scheming maniac who aims to rule over the world. Just dreams and passions, the very same things that could lift anyone to the skies in bliss. Or, as proven by many in the real world, pull each other apart. And that is the most tragic thing that could happen to anyone, whether it’s in the realm of fantasy or reality. I think this is the only film that I’ve seen in a very long while that takes a surgical, precise understanding on the pains of defining one’s priorities and the myriad of emotions that goes through the process. It is hard. “La La Land,” like many other beautiful stories, is painful to watch, but it is also stories like this that make the heart sing a memorable tune.

[ image borrowed from this site ]

soundbyte #001

The Electric Lady
Janelle Monáe

You know Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj. You know nothing about Janelle Monáe. That’s a shame. A darling of many music critics and considered a favorite of Barack Obama, Monáe officially arrived in the industry in 2010 with the studio album The Archandroid that was an intense blast of fresh air. Hers was a music that ranged from R&B, funk, soul to jazz and hip-hop. All this wrapped in a narrative about an android falling in love with a human makes it even more of an entirely different creature. And it surprisingly worked. Now, she continues this inimitable streak with her latest album, The Electric Lady, and has added more genres like cinematic scores, rock n’ roll, and reggae. It is astonishing such vocal prowess and musical dexterity exist in this world. Featuring an array of talented guests like Prince, Erykah Badu, Solange Knowles, Esperanza Spalding, and Miguel, The Electric Lady is by far the album at the moment that would, upon hearing its entirety, linger for many years to come. There’s the single “Q.U.E.E.N.” that celebrates one’s uniqueness (where she spouts some nasty rap in the end), “Primetime” that brings the age-old story of budding love to new light, and “Dance Apocalyptic” that could make the stiffest leg move and dance to its beat.

From orchestral flourishes to arena-size anthems, this girl can perform without the slightest doubt. There are also radio skits sprinkled here and there, and sometimes one might say she is too much. But to say that Janelle Monáe’s work is a jumble of influences is to pigeonhole her in one category. Monáe does not work that way. There is a calculated order in her chaos, a meaning to her excess. The different styles meld together to form one manifesto: to embrace the differences of love and identity, to overcome what brings us down with hope. It is that simple and basically what we need. She’s monolithic in her music, not in a way that imposes but encourages, as if the melodies are whispering, “Let’s listen to something brave and beautiful.” In this industry that is crowded with empty words and saturated in sex and insincerity, Janelle Monáe can be a deity. She is indeed electric like a music messiah who delivers us from all the nonsense. You knew nothing about Janelle Monáe. But this time you do. You are saved.

Essential tracks: “Q.U.E.E.N.,” “Dance Apocalyptic,” “We Were Rock n’ Roll”

Love in the Future
John Legend

When it comes to contemporary R&B love songs, it is hard not to include John Legend as one credible source. Unlike his previous efforts that are a great auditory experience but generally safe, his fourth studio album, Love in the Future, sounds risqué and shoots to the heights of grandness. Its music is sweeping, its character dramatic and sometimes even surreal with its gospel choruses, ethnic-sounding drum sets and morsels of Kanye West beats (not surprising since he is one of the album’s co-producers). The album’s intro sets this tone straight. This time there will be heat, sweat, and messy bed sheets—a far cry from his previous album Wake Up!, a collaboration with The Roots, which is more political than sensual. He is in his top form in this work, his voice consistently clear and strong and his skill with the piano flawless.

At this point in time everyone must have heard of Legend’s chart-topping ballad “All of Me.” Although the track is reverent, it is tinged with a quality that brings to mind the heart-wrenching song, “Someone Like You” by Adele, which made many eyes moist back in 2011. Like that song, “All of Me” has an emotion that is unfiltered and intentions that are frank. Legend’s crooning is reminiscent of a lover whose adoration for someone is an open book. Despite that song’s brooding nature, Love in the Future remains more of an optimist and upbeat than the other way around. It is full of anticipation and brimming with winking candor. Take a trip with “Made to Love,” and in all its thumping beats and handclaps, you will know why it is titled that way. “Hold on Longer” is hopeful, its tunes like a walk in the park on a Sunday morning. “Aim High” is smooth and comforting. In the book An Imperial Affliction, the author Peter van Houten states that “Pain demands to be felt.” With this album, it is not pain you feel but the rapture and bliss of loving, being loved, and making love. Bring out the handkerchief. This time you might end up with tears of joy.

Essential tracks: “All of Me,” “Made to Love,” “Save the Night” .

brilliance in music

The Camerawalls, which is led by Clementine “Clem” Castro, a member of the now-defunct band Orange and Lemons, has the freshest sound I’ve heard lately in the local music industry.

Lord Of The Flies - The Camerawalls by Lilystars Records


I remember seeing their albums Pocket Guide to the Otherworld and Bread and Circuses in Powerbooks Megamall, but when I went back the other month they were all gone. This broke my heart. Thankfully, samples of their discography are available in their website. Just listen to the song embedded above (my personal favorite, next to “Birthday Wishes”), or those in the site, and you’ll get this grand, sweeping sense of bliss, it’s as if you could touch and taste the beauty of colors.

And wait. Did I hear that right, strings from a rondalla instrument? Beautiful, indeed, just beautiful. Music like this should come out more often in the Philippines.

[ image lifted from this site ]

tears dry on their own

1983 - 2011

If not for this talented young girl, the likes of Duffy, Estelle, Paloma Faith, Lily Allen, and even the soulful but shy Adele would practically be heard little in the airwaves. Her songs make up the soundtrack of my melodrama a couple of years ago, and it is sad knowing that I won’t be hearing more from her in the coming days.

[ image lifted from this site ]