“Birit Queens”
I’m sad for the music industry here in the Philippines. The top 10 songs include “In and Out” by Sandara and songs of the Viva Hot Babes and Sex Bomb Dancers. And sadly, Cynthia Alexander songs will never reach the top 10, maybe even the top 20. Don’t you think there’s something really wrong? There’s something very wrong.
I’m also bothered by the proliferation of the “birit queens”, as Nestor Torre of the Inquirer calls them. I cannot tell the difference among Sarah Geronimo, Sherilyn Regis, Rachel Ann Go… It’s worse for the guys. Hey, they’re good, yes. But I just want to go back to the days when each singer had his/her own thing – own personality, own style. It seems that girls all want to be like Regine Velasquez. I want to have more Jaya’s! More Lani Misalucha’s! It seems that to be a successful singer these days, one should have a very high voice. I hope that we can break away from that trend. I really do. Check out Norah Jones. Joss Stone. Basia. Julia Fordham. Different styles. They don’t need to sing at the top of their lungs to be noticed.
Sigh.
Sitti and the Cubano
We were finally able to watch Sitti and the Cubano last friday at Star Tavern, along E. Rod. I was with Jovan, Kookie, Bunny and Leeds. I got curious because Bunny kept on raving about the group, plus we’re thinking of having a bossa nova band for the reception instead of strings. Sitti, a 19-year old student from UP, is AMAZING! She’s soooooooo pretty, and her voice is so sexy!!! That was damn good music. Even if the place wasn’t very nice, and it was crawling with DOM’s, we will still go back one of these days. They sing at Star Tavern every friday, from 9:30PM to 1:30AM.
Cynthia Alexander
I watched her gig in 70′s Bistro last night with Jovan, Karen and Nicole. I’ve watched a lot of Cynthia gigs, but she never fails to amaze me with her music, every single time. Everytime she’s on stage, it’s a celebration of music. And Sancho… HE IS A GUITAR GOD!!! One of my favorite Cynthia songs is “U & I”, and it was a pleasant surprise to hear them play it jazz style. She also sang “Pipit”, with a solo by the bassist (imagine that??) Of course Motorbycle was again a showcase of their guitar prowess. I hope that you guys can watch at least one of her gigs. 