Pinoy sounds for Christmas

I know I am guilty of listening to mostly foreign music. I know I am also guilty of buying more foreign albums than local ones. We have to admit though that many of those guys overseas do make great music in a manner we are not yet capable of most of the time. However, there are always exceptions to any rule. And now that Christmas is only a few days away, here are some albums by Filipino artists that we can be proud of and that you might want to give yourself or some of those dear ones in your list.

Harinawa by Bayang Barrios is an evolved Bayang Barrios that we get in her second album release Harinawa. The folk and ethnic music elements of her earlier years are still present but she has now taken on other influences that resulted in a kind of world music that is hip but also very Filipino. Think R&B and pop. Think rock and techno. Bayang Barrios with electronic accompaniment? That was an unlikely idea a few years ago. But not anymore. Bayang has emerged as a pop music artist who can take on the new, merge what she wants with her own and then come up with something that is totally hers.

Of course, the best thing that Bayang has to offer is still her voice. This is so soulful, so full of emotions, that she can convey experiences worth a lifetime by just singing a song. This time around she has also added songwriter to her credits and this must be why her singing comes across as doubly expressive in her works Ngansiba?, Darating Din Tayo, Mapayapang Mundo and Dinggin N’yo.

As for the other songs, Harinawa, Hiling, Buhay, Inang Bayan, Habang Ika’y Wala, Bumalik Ka Na, O Giliw and Guro, they come mostly from Mike Villegas, who mastered the package and Sammy Asuncion who also sings in some cuts and plays the guitar with Bob Aves. Sammy and Bob are also the producers of Harinawa and it is to their credit that we are now listening to the new, more exciting sound of Bayang Barrios.

Headtrip by Slapshock, Band of the Year and Listeners’ Choice at the NU Rock Awards, anything by Slapshock will surely delight the rocking teenager of the house. Fortunately, that is, if you are not the squeamish about explicit lyrics and loud music. The band’s second album is made up of heavier stuff than 4th Degree Burn. These guys have discovered social consciousness and the lyrics of their songs now go into religion, politics, schizophrenia and other sensitive topics. The music mixes pounding guitars with techno as the boys traipse across with hip hop rhythms.

Best of the lot is Purple Year, which shows clever handling of the reggae beat. Take note too of My Skar where Jamir Garcia duets with Myra Ruaro of the Brownbeat All-Stars. And then there are Get Away, Push Me, F--k You, Shezzo Wicked, Takot Sa ’Yo, Circus Jesus, 27 Suicide Kings, Like You, Point Blank, Slap vs. Freak and a new mix of Sick Curtain.

Awit at Pag-ibig by Aegis: Given the popularity of the song Luha, Halik, Bakit and Basang-basa Sa Ulan, you are bound to know somebody who will surely enjoy listening to the new songs of Aegis. This is the female-heavy band made up of Juliet and Mercy Sunot on vocals. Vilma Goloviogo on drums, Rowena Pinpin on bass, Stella Galindo on keyboards and the lone male member Rey Abenoja on guitars. The sound that Aegis makes is country-rock. Think Bon Jovi laced with Eddie Peregrina or a mix of Scorpions and Imelda Papin. Sounds odious? Not really as this is the kind of sound that never fails to go big with Pinoy listeners.

Awit at Pag-ibig is Aegis’ fourth album. It follows Aegis, Mahal Na Mahal Kita, and Paskung-Pasko. It is made up of new compositions by Celso Abenoja, who also penned the group’s other hits with one cover, Sa ’yo Lamang, by Manoling Francisco S.J., S. Borres and P.T. Gan and two by Aegis, Paano Ba and Bakit. Watch out for the title cut, Awit at Pag-ibig, hews closely to the successful formula used in the band’s early hits. This one should be another big seller. The other songs included are Para Kay Elleen, Ikaw, Pader, Araw-Araw Na Lang, Babae Sa Bintana, Asul and Ilog.