Why Pinoys love Brian McKnight

Soul artist Brian McKnight is coming to town. This must be his third or fourth visit to the Philippines and it is nice to know that he likes being here and seems to enjoy the company of Pinoys. Likewise, his local fans show no indication of not wanting to listen to Brian sing his hits live anymore. As long as they are certain that he will peform One Last Cry, Back at One and their other favorites, you can bet that they will be there to listen and applaud and cheer or whatever.

McKnight is one of those extraordinarily gifted artists who writes and produces his own music and who also has an incredible voice and singing style. Given his artistic range, he easily invites comparison with the legendary Stevie Wonder and Danny Hathaway. But if I were to make the comparison, I would much rather think of McKnight alongside Teddy Pendergrass or Luther Vandross or Lionel Richie, who are all great R&B artists who have mastered the art of creating a mood for romance with their songs.

This I believe, is the reason why McKnight is such a big success here in the Philippines. Filipinos are suckers for romantic balladeers and he is somebody who sounds the way most women imagine their lovers should sound. So when you are a male who cannot even in your wildest dreams sound like him, you do the next best thing for the woman you love. You give her Brian’s CDs that you can listen to together or if he happens to be in town you go to watch him perform, of course, also together.

His latest album is titled Superhero. No, the guy in the title is not Brian but all those unsung people who do things everyday that go unrecognized and we do have plenty of them. Still, it will not be far-fetched to think of Brian as also a superhero of sorts. The album, so low-key, so rich in texture, so full of expression, so varied in content, is certainly his best to date. All those romantic souls out there will certainly love the joyfully-soaring Love of My Life which comes with Brian’s trademark falsetto and which is also my personal favorite.

If not, then there are the other cuts in Superhero like When You Gonna Come, What’s It Gonna Be, My Kinda Girl where he duets with Justin Timberlake of ’N Sync, Whatever You Want, Everything, Get Over You, Still, Don’t Know Where to Start where Nate Dogg raps and the title track.

As for the concert, the show is titled Two for the Knight and it stars Mc-Knight and Filipino Songbird Regine Velasquez. This is a special Valentine presentation from Viva Concerts that will be held on Feb. 14 and 15, Thursday and Friday, at 8 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. Tickets are priced at Patrons P3,000 and P2,500; Lower Box P2,500; Upper Box A, P1,250; Upper Box B, P600, and General Admission P200.

Take note that there is a special early bird discount of 10 percent for ticket buyers. But this offer is good only until Jan. 25. After that, you will have to pay the full amount. Brian and Regine will perform all their hits and might even do a duet or two. So get your tickets now.

American Music Awards

Newcomer Alicia Keys, Destiny’s Child and the late Aaliyah emerged as the top winners with two trophies each at the American Music Awards held in Los Angeles, last Thursday, Jan. 10. The AMA is a popularity contest where music fans get to vote for their favorites. Despite this system it has come to be considered a strong harbinger of what the coming Grammys will be like. Here is the list of winners.

Pop or Rock ’n Roll Music

Male Artist – Lenny Kravitz

Female – Janet Jackson

Group – ‘N Sync

Album – Survivor by Destiny’s Child

New Artists – Alicia Keys

Soul/R&B Music

Male Artist – Luther Vandross

Female – Aaliyah

Group – Destiny’s Child

Album – Aaliyah by Aaliyah

New Artist – Alicia Keys

Country Music

Male Artist – Tim McGraw

Female – Faith Hill

Group – Brooks & Dunn

Album – Set This Circus Down by Tim McGraw

New Artist – Trick Pony

Rap/Hip-Hop Music – Nelly

Alternative Music Artist – Limp Bizkit

Adult Contemporary Music – Sade

Latin Music – Enrique Iglesias

Contemporary Inspirational Music – Yolanda Adams

Soundtrack – Save The Last Dance

Internet Aritst of the Year – U2

Coca Cola New Music Award – Carbon Leaf

Award of Merit – Garth Brooks

Artist of the Century – Michael Jackson