More nostalgia from The CompanY

There is something curiously amiss in Nostalgia 2, the latest album by The CompanY. As the liner notes say, I love having liner notes in albums by the way, this is supposed to be a collection of hit tunes from the ‘80s done The CompanY way just as the group’s Nostalgia 1 had big favorites from the ’70s era. 

And in keeping with the concept, there is the Rita Lee song from Brazil, Lanca Perfume done here by The CompanY member Cecile Bautista that I remember watching Nida Blanca and Nestor de Villa dance to in the ’80s. Nice and good. But then what is My Cherie Amour doing in this album?

The lovely My Cherie Amour, performed by OJ Mariano and guest vocalist ex-CompanY Reuben Laurente in the album, was a big hit by Stevie Wonder back in 1969, which is, as everybody knows, a lifetime away from the ‘80s. Note that this is not the only time that The CompanY goofed over their timeline. 

Lovely Day by Bill Withers sang by Annie Quintos and Moy Ortiz comes from the ‘70s, as does the Bee Gees hit for Yvonne Ellinman, If I Can’t Have You with Moy, plus Michael Jackson’s One Day In Your Life by OJ, which was one of the last songs MJ recorded before he left Motown and went solo at Sony with the historic Off The Wall.

And the classic Can We Just Stop And Talk A While again by Annie and Moy was released in 1973 after the singer and composer Jose Mari Chan competed in the Yamaha Popular Song Festival in Tokyo.

But this thing about the songs being out of an imposed timeline is all just nitpicking on my part. Who cares about the ’70s or the ’80s? The Nostalgia albums are actually about The CompanY singing versions of well-loved oldies and in that regard, this recording works very well.

After 30 years in the business, The CompanY has been able to establish a distinct sound, which is what their fans look for in their albums and their shows. This sound or should I say a very updated edition of it is in Nostalgia 2.

The CompanY today is jazzy and bluesy and made for lazy, balmy afternoons on the beach or after hours cuddling. I also like the fact that instead of being presented as a group, members Cecile, OJ, Sweet, Annie and Moy, who is also the vocal arranger, have been given the chance to take the lead in the various songs. Because of this, listening to the album feels like watching The CompanY singers finally come to life. Check out the credits and I am sure you, too, will say, “Oh, so this is what Annie is good at.”

The other cuts in Nostalgia 2 and the ones that truly come from the ‘80s are: Especially For You, first a duet by Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan performed by Sweet and OJ; Crazy For You by Madonna done by Sweet and Moy; Wake Me Up Before You Go Go by Wham! now by Sweet and OJ; and Head Over Heels by The Go Gos, a solo rendition by Sweet. 

P.S. Nostalgia 2 comes with music minus ones of all the cuts just in case you want to sing a la CompanY.

At last, I can finally reprint it here. The first BillboardPH chart based by Nielsen Music on streaming and download sales from Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube. Note that the sales of physical CDs, once the main barometer for the creation of hits, are not among those taken into consideration. I think this creates a false picture of the chart since physical CDs sell big during live events featuring popular artists. Maybe BillboardPH can look into this.

Here now are the Top 20 tunes in the BillboardPH chart this week:  Dahil Sa ‘yo by Iñigo Pascual; Sila by Sud; Pusong Ligaw by Jona; Pasensya Ka Na by Silent Sanctuary; Hiling by Mark Carpio; Maghihintay Ako by Jona; Hanggang Kailan by Michael Pangilinan; Paasa (T.A.N.G.A.); You from My Ex & Whys by Jona; Malaya by Moira de la Torre from the Camp Sawi soundtrack.

Tulad Mo by TJ Monterde; A Love To Last A Lifetime by Juris; Akin Ka Na Lang by Morissette Amon; Your Love also by Juris; Mahal Ko O Mahal Ako by KZ Tandingan; Dating Tayo again by TJ Monterde; Pagsuko by Jereh Lim; Kaibigan Mo by Sarah Geronimo featuring Yeng Constantino; Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now by Morissette and Daniel Padilla from Crazy Beautiful You; and Baliw Sa ‘Yo by Jroa feat. Bosxline.