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2007 will definitely be the year when SinoSikat?
breaks out from its underground/cult fame as the band to beat and
once again prove that the Philippines is home to the freshest and
most talented outfits.
Vocalist Kat Agarrado defines the
band’s sound as Pinoy Soul, which not unlike the fusion of such
artists as Erykah Badu, Jill Scott and Aretha Franklin into a more
local, modern and exciting package. “You have to listen to it to
be able to understand it,” says Agarrado, by way of trying to nail
the exact words to describe the music she and bandmates—drummer
Reli de Vera and guitarist Nick Azarcon—have been cooking up for
the past few years.
“Soul comes from within, the
listeners will surely feel it when they hear it. It’s something
original,” she proudly declares of the album’s 10 tracks, nine
of them original and one cover of seminal eighties’ Pinoy outfit
The Advisor’s “Telepono.” In fact, the band’s first single,
“Turning My Safety Off” is proof that the band’s sound,
reinforced by powerful and well-received live performances, is both
intelligent and accessible. Its sultry, slow-tempo groove best
characterizes the direction, yet the band’s capabilities are taken
up a varying notch with other dazzling displays of talent in tracks
like the invitingly wily opener “Akin Ka,” and the cool slow
jam-ish “So Blue.”
Though the album literally
screams of unbridled energy and attitude, there are also poignant
moments where the band explores intimate emotion and sound textures,
like the song “Pag-Ibig,” where Agarrado offers a fine display
of vocal dynamics, and on the flute-spiced “Tragic Beauty,”
which is a breather from the traditional, straight up rock ’n’
roll the current music scene is riddled with.
In a nutshell, SinoSikat? creates
music perfect for every occasion, every person . . . and does so
with a rare sincerity not so often heard of these days.
So watch out for the attack of
Pinoy Soul’s finest perpetrator, SinoSikat? as its much-awaited
debut album is now available in stores nationwide, from Warner Music
Philippines.
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