‘Unforgettable’ singer in Manila

By Nickie Wang

Manila Standard Today

American singer-songwriter Natalie Cole is on a mission to fill up the Araneta Coliseum on March 11 crooning the most beloved ballads and R&B classics that catapulted her as a hot R&B star of the ’80s.

The 59 year-old singer, who popularized the Grammy Award-winning songs “Unforgettable,” “When I Fall In Love,” “This Will Be,” and other hits like “Inseparable” and “Miss You Like Crazy,” will relive her songs in a concert called An Unforgettable Evening with Natalie Cole.

“I’m pulling a lot of stuff from way, way back,” Cole said. “When you have 25 years of great stuff in your catalog, you want to give them as much as you can, especially an audience that has been with you for all of it.”

Natalie’s first-ever concert in the country promises great entertainment as she pays tribute to her musical influences like her legendary father, Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra.

She started and achieved early success as an R&B singer in the ’70s. Over the years, most especially in the ’90s, she gradually shifted her genre to a more jazzy musical style and even released singles that are pop standard-oriented. Her change of musical style is evident when she recorded the album Take A Look (1993), When I Fall In Love (1996), and Snowfall on the Sahara (1999).

The American chanteuse, who is behind 10 Grammy Awards and more than 30 million record sales worldwide, first released an album in 1975 (Inseparable) followed by a self-titled album in 1976. Almost every year from 1970 to 1991, Natalie came up with high-profiled materials that endeared her to legions of fans across the globe.

One of the most remarkable feats of her luminous career is the successful remake of her father’s classic, “Unforgettable,” which she recorded in 1991. With a little help of technology, Natalie had a duet with her father Nat King Cole, who had passed on by that time. The late legendary R&B singer’s vocal from the original recording was spliced into the new track to recreate the single. The album that included that track peaked at the US Billboard Pop Chart at no. 1 for five weeks. It also received eight times platinum certification from RIAA selling more than seven million copies in the United States alone.

At the height of her career, Natalie had to deal with the prize that came together with her overwhelming success. She had to battle a growing addiction to illegal drugs while being in and out of bad marriages (she has been married three times). In an autobiography released in 2000, Natalie admitted that she was addicted to heroin and crack cocaine. In 2008, she was diagnosed with hepatitis C, which the doctors believed she contracted from sharing needles during her rampant addiction to heroin.

“I’ve had my share of doing things that I really wish I hadn’t done,” Cole stated. “It doesn’t mean I’m not going to make mistakes again, but don’t let it be in the studio. Let that be at least one place where I can kinda get it right.”

Natalie’s illness doesn’t stop her from doing the things she loves. The international multi-platinum diva continues to tour the world to do concert and promote her music. With a career that spans four decades, Natalie continues to produce great hits.

Last year, she released an album entitled Still Unforgettable. The pop-jazz album earned Natalie her 10th Grammy trophy and an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Artist. These just prove that Natalie Cole and her music are one, that’s why she is called an international artist; she has an impeccable talent that makes her an optimum songstress whose recognizable voice produced unforgettable classic hits that have touched millions of fans all over the world.

Introducing Nikki J.

By Nickie Wang

Manila Standard Today

Exceptional music talents are not the usual voices you hear over the radio. Great music and extraordinary singers must be discovered by music aficionados who posses discriminating ears and distinctive tastes.

Nikki J. is one of the intelligent singers who decide to remain away from the limelight, but that doesn’t mean she conceals her passion for music. Her artistic ability is lauded whenever she performs in corporate shows and intimate events seen by few —music listeners who like standards and whose ears are burnt out with crappy renditions of other singers who don’t even know the real science and art of music.

In October last year, Nikki J., a former member of Ryan Cayabyab’s 14K, staged a first solo concert at Teatrino Theater and Bar at Greenhills. The sold-out performance got good reviews and endeared Nikki to a captive audience, who are mostly members of Manila’s affluent lot and definitely all music lovers.

Catching up with the love month, Nikki J. is set to stage another concert called Standards in Love tomorrow at Teatrino.

Nikki J., or Nikki Junia, will croon her own interpretations of standard classics made popular by Connie Francis, Cliff Richard, Doris Day and other artists of yesteryears.

Among the songs that she is going to perform are “Stuck on You,” “Return to Sender,” and “Lipstick on Your Collar.” Nikki will also do the bossa nova versions of Elvis Presley’s classics “Jailhouse Rock,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” and “Don’t Be Cruel.” All arrangements are done by guitarist and musical genius Kettle Mata.

“It’s basically the same concert I had last year but this time, we added more songs and invited different guests,” Nikki told us during an intimate talk over a lunch on a Saturday afternoon.

Her lineup of special guests includes singer-comedian Dyords Javier, and fresh talents Tina Chong and Jastine Alfonso. The concert will be directed by her father Ray Junia.

Early years

“What really inspired me to sing was after I watched Lea Salonga’s concert at Nikko Garden Hotel. She was still so young then. We just dropped by to watch her sing, and then I told my Dad, ‘I want to train, I want to sing and I want to learn how to sing,’” Nikki recalled. She was just nine years old then.

Being a former member of 4K, the first batch, of course, it is not surprising that windows of opportunities easily opened up for Nikki. In the late ’80s when she was just 12 years old, she climbed the stage of Carnegie Hall in the United States. Then, with the help of Fr. Sonny Ramirez, she did a series of concerts with other young singers who would later become top college students of the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music.

At a tender age of 13, she became the youngest Fe Panlilio OPM scholar in the class of Robert Seña. After her stint with the musical group, she went serious with gospel singing and continued studying music and eventually graduated cum laude at UST.

The road less traveled

Instead of pursuing a career in mainstream music, like what other singers would normally do, Nikki devoted her time teaching young students to learn the proper technique in singing while doing corporate shows on the side.

“The reason why studied music because I wanted to know the technique, it’s like how can you share something if you don’t experience it,” Nikki said and furthered, “When you perform you still learn a lot of things. So that’s what I teach my students, my personal experiences. It’s rewarding when you hear your students improving after a year.”

According to the singer and a music guru, she is very thankful to her past mentors because they were generous in terms of sharing their experiences. That is the same urge that inspires Nikki to share what she knows to the next generation of music artists.

“I want them to have the right attitude and discipline. They really have to work hard. Some people’s impression is that after one year you can already sing. I started training when I was nine years old, and I continue learning until now,” Nikki said and revealed that she has been teaching young music students since she was high school back in her home town in San Pedro, Laguna. Currently, she owns a music school that hones about 30 aspiring talents.

As a classically trained soprano, who can easily go from classical to pop, she doesn’t just listen to music for pleasure but studies and analyzes the material. With careful planning, the petite singer plans to come up with an album.

“We are still finalizing the concept because I don’t want to make a mistake on that. I will still be standards of course. There will be original songs that will sound like oldies and I will do some revivals that will sound like new,” she concluded.

Nikki J.’s Standard in Love concert is the latest installment of her Standards Concert Series. For tickets, call or fax J Events at telefax 869-1531 or e-mail j.events@yahoo.com.

Four failed voices trying to make it in the business

By Nickie Wang

Manila Standard Today

Less than a year after the quartet You’ve Got Male was formed to entertain the avid viewers of SOP, this fearless group tried to test the waters of performing live last Feb. 20 at the Music Museum.

On a busy Friday night, avoiding the busier thoroughfares like the Aurora Boulevard, we decided to watch Four…The First Time at the Music Museum since we already know what’s going to happen at the Big Dome. The performance we thought would be a breath of fresh air just disappointed us, or maybe we just expected too much from the four young men who aimed to introduce themselves as legitimate concert performers.

From the opening “Bohemian Rhapsody” to the closing “Time of My Life,” and an hour and 40 minutes in between, the quartet who call themselves a group and individual performers at the same time practically showed the audience why they didn’t win the respective talent searches they were once part of.

Just when they thought that boy bands are still in, the fallen talents of disparage searches paid tribute to Barry Manilow crooning classic hits like “Mandy,” “When Will I Hold You Again,” and “Can’t Smile Without You,” boy-band style of course. On the surface, the four looked and sounded good together because of excellent harmony in vocals but turning to their individual performances was a completely different story.

More recognizable Gian Magdangal, whose live outings include stage plays and guest performances in several concerts, made elaborated movements during his moment on the stage. His interpretation of Bread’s “Everything I Own” sounded as if he has just lost everything he had. We got completely distracted by his exaggerated facial expressions making him not so pleasant to look at. His unnecessary movements overshadowed the talent he had to showcase on that defining night.

Bryan Termulo, who rendered his own version of 1979 hit “Cool Change” and Rob Thomas’ “Smooth,” tried hard to act and move sexy. His attempt to seduce the female and gay people at the audience only earned him the moniker “the sissy boy.” We also noticed that his outfits didn’t fit quite well with his short and stocky thighs, except the ensemble for the final part of the show when he was groomed with a sleek white suit just like the rest of the members of the group.

The only classy member of the You’ve Got Male on that particular night, Jan Nieto, really made the fans go loud. His distinctive presence on the stage encouraged our thoughts that he has better potentials than his band mates. “I’ll Never Say Goodbye” and his debut album’s carrier single composed by Ogie Alcasid “Bakit Kailangan Pang Lumayo” were flawlessly delivered. Jan also visibly carried his outfits better than the other three members of the group.

Harry Santos, who sounded like a pale imitation of Josh Groban, nearly didn’t hit the high notes of “You Still You” and the Ryan Cayabyab’s masterpiece “Araw Gabi.” The downside of his performance is that he was associated to Josh Groban because of his being vocal in idolizing the American artist. It’s obvious that the young singer is trying to imitate the famous crooner but the problem was he didn’t even sound close.

The people who put together the four performers didn’t make fine touches on the concert’s concept. It is safe to say that it looked like a prolonged version of SOP’s segment “Three of a Kind” having You’ve Got Male occupying the center stage the whole time.

Special guest Lovi Poe was the big surprise. Although veteran singer Pop Fernandez and choreographer Regine Tolentino were also guest performers, Lovi, who sang “Someone to Watch Over Me,” saved the first half of the show when the audiences were getting restless with the middling performances delivered by Gian and Bryan.

The four performers’ excitement of having a very first concert was evident in the way they horse around the stage but it was their spiels that we found evidently canned. During the entire show they uttered phrases that didn’t have any connection to the songs they were about to sing, not to mention the long lines they dropped that gave the impression that they’re not actually included in the disorganized script.

The concert ended with a medley of the songs the quartet performed in the contests they joined. Harry emotionally sang “You Raised Me Up,” Bryan belted “Flying Without Wings,” OPM lover Jan went romantic with “Will You Say That You Love Me,” and Gian crooned with his version of “Impossible Dream.”

It is hard to tell if there would be a repeat or would we still see You’ve Got Male at a different, or perhaps a bigger, venue. The concert didn’t fill up the minuscule Music Museum, and that is despite the number of performers featured on stage.

Reviving life with a touch of a finger

By NICKIE WANG/ Manila Standard Today

Is there any benchmark for fantasy series in terms of originality, creativity, and appeal? If there really is, then Pushing Daisies fits to be one of the barometers in adjudging fantasy series on television.

Pushing Daisies had its second season premiere on 2nd Avenue on Feb. 17, almost one-and-a-half years after the first season’s cliffhanger ending. Pie-maker Ned (Lee Pace) is back with the rest of the gang to give viewers a vibrant definition of what forensic fairy tale is all about the dramady (drama plus comedy) style.

On the eve of Valentine’s Day, we were at the preview of Pushing Daisies’ pilot episode in the picturesque Fernwood Gardens in Quezon City.

Flashback

The first season introduced Ned, an ordinary pie-maker with extraordinary gift. With one touch he can bring the dead people, animal or anything back to life for one minute. Beyond that, he must use the same touch to send that person back, or someone else or something else must die.

With the help of local private investigator Emerson Cod (Chi McBride), Ned uses his special ability to solve murder cases and cash in on hefty rewards. The romance started when Ned came across his childhood sweetheart Chuck Charles (Anna Friel), who was murdered in a cruise ship.

Determined to be reunited with his one true love, he decided to let her live. Unfortunately, the pie-maker may never touch Chuck again or she’ll be gone forever.

The new touch

The second season’s pilot episode sees Chuck going undercover as a “Bee Girl” at a honey-based cosmetics company called the Betty’s Bees. Chuck agrees to be an accomplice with the help of Ned and Emerson to resolve the death of the company’s new spokesmodel who was stung to death by a swarm of bees.

The trio of Chuck, Ned. and Emerson stumble into remarkable discovery leading to the capture of Woolsy Nichols, owner of Betty’s Bees. They get him to confess about the whole truth that was clouded by mystery of the young model’s death.

Meanwhile, the bizarre love story of Ned and Chuck has to hurdle a trial as the latter starts to have a growing independence. Chuck moves out of Ned’s apartment. Although she just moved in to the next door, the pie-maker Ned does not find it romantic knocking at the door of his girlfriend whenever he wants to see her.

He would truly miss the ballet of avoidance that has become the daily move of the couple inside the apartment. They can’t touch each other so they orchestrated steps to avoid each other. Ned’s slippers are adorned with small bells so Chuck would know if he is near or approaching.

In other developments, the pie waitress Olive finds herself moving into a nunnery after discovering the secret of Aunt Lily’s (Swoosie Kurtz) relation to Chuck. She is off to the convent so she won’t spill Lily’s deep, dark secret.

The colors of daisies

Bryan Fuller, who also has 22-episode writing credits for Star Trek and first season of Heroes, was able to bring Pushing Daisies into its magical qualities again. The series remains quirky and flashy in a sense that the colors of the set add up to mood of the characters that became more interesting.

The singing pie waitress turned convent boarder Olive seems to be more interesting as she morphs into a vivacious character. Viewers will find her more charming as she adopts a pet pig named Pigby. Lovers Ned and Chuck, on the other hand, will kiss each other more using a plastic cover.

For people who will see the series for the very first time, it is recommended for them to check the previous episodes of Pushing Daisies online through video- sharing Web site and they would definitely get hooked up with its whimsical Tim Burton-inspired storyline.

The first season was nominated for 12 Primetime Emmy Awards and won three trophies. Now it’s back with another season of more whimsical and visually entertaining blend of romance, crime procedure, and high-concept fantasy.

Catch Pushing Daisies every Tuesday at 9 p.m. on cable TV 2nd Avenue. 2nd Avenue is available on RJTV UHF Channel 29, SkyCable Channel 19, and Global Destiny Channel 31.

Charging the Big Dome with punk rock music

By NICKIE WANG/ Manila Standard Today

“I Don’t Care” is the latest single of Chicago-based punk rock group, Fall Out Boy (FOB). The song, which is the carrier single of the band’s fifth studio album Folie A Deux, was included on Rolling Stone’s “100 Singles of the Year 2008” and was one of the highlights of FOB’s loud concert at the Araneta Coliseum on Feb. 13.

At exactly 9 p.m., first-rate lighting system transformed the concert stage into an arena for alternative and pop punk music with Patrick Stump (vocals/guitar), Pete Wentz (bass), Joe Trohman (guitar), and Andy Hurley (drums).

When the band stepped on the stage and performed “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs,” fans howled a deafening scream and sang along with the quartet. FOB’s second visit to the Philippines was warmly welcomed by thousands of mostly Filipino teenagers who packed the Big Dome. It was a clear indication that FOB’s market here in the country belongs to the younger age group primarily because of the band’s contemporary appeal.

As the fans continued to scream from the top of their lungs and didn’t care to take their seats at all, the band continued with its other hits like “Thriller” and “A Little Less Sixteen Candle, A Little More Touch Me.”

High energy was obvious among the members of the band. Frontman Patrick seemed to have mastered singing continuously for he didn’t even sip any liquid. He was able to maintain his vocal strength all throughout the show without showing any signs of getting exhausted.

Pete, the most controversial and most recognized member of FOB mainly for being Ashlee Simpson’s hubby, served as the band’s talking head. Contrary to the known fact that Patrick is more vocal and eloquent, more popular Pete was the one who conversed with the crowd while introducing the songs that they’re about to play.

Scream was not the only evidence that the audience was completely hooked up with the band, everyone clapped their hands attuning with every song’s melody, not to mention that most of the people who packed the venue knew the lyric to every song. It was even observable when the little less known “A Bit of American Boy” was performed.

The concert’s front act Hey Monday with its vocalist named Cassadee stole the scene while FOB was performing “We’re Going Down.” She collaborated with Patrick singing the chorus and some parts of the song but instantly left the stage when the quartet proceeded with “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race.”

Charismatic Pete, who definitely got the loudest scream among the members of FOB, asked the crowd to do a human wave, the cooperative crowd followed the instruction of the band’s bassist. The “wave” somehow heralded the band’s latest single “I Don’t Care.” We mentioned that this was one of the highlights of the concert because the guitars clung over the shoulders of Patrick, Pete and Joe lighted up when the whole venue went dark. The guitars were the only visible light on the stage most especially during the song’s chorus.

The soaring energies among the band and crowd kept on as Patrick introduced a familiar tune. For the first time, he asked the crowd to sing along with them as they played their cover of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.”

The quartet just kept on playing and gave what their fans like the most, which is hearing the songs that made them popular among punk and alternative music lovers. The band played songs that catapulted them to pop punk stardom like “Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner,” “The Take Over, The Breaks’ Over,” “I Slept with Someone in Fall Out Boy and All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About,” “Grand Theft Autumn” and other two songs from the new album, “Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes,” and “Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet.”

Encore

While everyone screamed “more, more, and more,” the band, in less than five minutes, reappeared on the stage charged with the same vigor as when they started the show.

While the fans were expecting a much longer performance, that obviously disappointed them because opposing to long titles of FOB songs, the band performed for only 70 minutes, that’s an hour and 10 minutes to be exact.

FOB performed the finale with its popular songs “America’s Suitehearts,” “Dance, Dance,” and “Saturday.” While singing the near end of the last song, Pete removed his hooded jacked and jumped into the crowd. One of the bouncers held Pete high and the crowd just went crazy. Pete went back on stage and the band thanked the people who attended the concert.

The abrupt ending of the show surprised the audience after the adrenaline-pumping finale. Because some of them kept asking for more, some people didn’t immediately leave the venue wondering if the concert was really already finished.

Despite the disappointing end, FOB’s concert defined the attitude of an alternative and punk band. Listening to its music, we recognize that the melodies almost sounded the same. Trademark rhythm, guitar, and vocal styles, were evident but it was actually the provocative and anthemic lyric of the songs supported by FOB’s edgy attitude made the band identifiable as a prominent music act.

Folie A Deux

We learned that the chief reason why FOB came to Manila for a second concert was to promote its latest album Folie A Deux that literally means “insanity shared by two.” According to Patrick Stump, when we had the chance to see FOB face to face during a press conference held at the Edsa Shangri La Hotel a day before the concert, Folie A Deux is actually a metaphor that does not just talk about the insanity of two people but of everybody.

“We are newer and better people now,” members of the band quipped when asked how the concert would be different from the previous concert they had. They said that they’re just excited to perform with dynamic crowds like the Filipino audience. Filipino people have practically gone closer to the band as Patrick returned to the Philippines with his half-Filipina girlfriend.

To front-act the Friday the thirteenth concert, FOB also brought the girl fronted band Hey Monday. It opened the concert performing some of its singles including “Josey” and “Homecoming.”

Members of Hey Monday revealed before the press that they grew up listening to the songs of FOB. Apparently, the band is signed to Pete Wentz’s label, Decaydence.