Music review: Kat Agarrado’s Ikaw Ba
MANILA, Philippines – There seems to be a nascent neo-soul scene in Manila, and that sounds infinitely better to us than neo-nazism. Better hairstyles, too! At the forefront of this neo-soul movement are Sino Sikat and Yosha.
Of course, as should be obvious, at the helm of Sino Sikat is the spellbinding Kat Agarrado.
On Oct. 15 at Legaspi Village’s A-Space Art Gallery, amid a coterie of fans, well-wishers and fellow musicians, Kat and her producer Paolo Garcia staged a preview of her new single Ikaw Ba with the requisite accompanying video.
Ikaw Ba is a tune written by guitarist Noli Aurillo, together with Paolo Garcia and Kat herself.
The first dilemma that confronts a listener is what to call this kind of music. Smaller minds might be tempted to call this jazz, but smaller minds would be wrong.
Noli himself calls this tune polka-folk, but while the term is germane to its playful, lilting groove, it doesn’t begin to describe the song’s otherworldly harmonies.
Formerly with Sino Sikat, Kat is now sometimes billed as the ‘Queen in White’ — Photo by Eddie Boy Escudero
To encapsulate the sound of the song’s chords, this writer suggests the term “patchouli chords.” You know how listening to Joni Mitchell’s ‘70s stuff somehow brings to mind the scent of patchouli? Of course you do. So now you have some idea of what Ikaw Ba sounds like, not to mention how to dress for the occasion.
So, imagine a spiraling patch of patchouli chords set to a quasi-polka groove in a zeitgeist of Joni Mitchell-esque folk, and you have a fair idea of where Kat is at, musically.
Before partaking of her latest obra at A-Space, we first sampled luscious hors d’oeuvres in the form of opening acts with guitarists Noli Aurillo and Butch Roxas, keyboard wunderkinden Ryan Villamor and his confreres, and a UST string quartet that calls itself Nueno Classico. All of these went well with the gourmet carbonara courtesy of caterer extraordinaire Chef’s Hat. Don Pepe Rhum-based drinks also enhanced the occasion.
Noli and Butch played a set each of solo guitar before making way for Ryan and his band, which essayed a few of the keyboardist’s avante-jazz compositions. The string quartet — three violins and a cello — then took over, playing Di Kita Malimot and an instrumental version of Up Dharma Down’s Tadhana.
Then the audience was treated to an eye-opener by the scantily-clad femmes of BurlesquePH. In various states of “deshabille,” these ladies put on a show that was spicy and rather risqué, but decent enough for the shalla crowd in attendance.
Finally, Kat took centerstage to sing her new single. Judging by the audience’s swaying heads and grooving behinds, Kat and her latest music proved to be quite a hit. Followed the music video, and we were all struck by how comely Kat is as a new mommy.
With the audience suitably blown away, Kat then sang a few more original tunes, standout among which was the playfully tongue-in-cheek Sabado.
Unless we’ve become preposterously bereft of all our senses, it’s rather obvious that Ikaw Ba is just the first taste of an upcoming Kat Agarrado solo album. Take that as you will; it’s good news any way you look at it. To hear Kat — solo or with Sino Sikat — is to love her. That’s about as close to gospel as it gets.