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Rico Blanco couldn’t have chosen a more fitting day to launch his
debut single as a solo artist than last Thursday, Independence Day.
The song “Yugto, [Chapter]” marks his full emancipation from
his identity as the former front man of Rivermaya as much as it
introduces him as the newest and arguably most exciting local male
solo artist since, well, ever.
Nobody will dispute the fact that Blanco is a
talented musician. With all due respect to the remaining members of
Rivermaya, Blanco’s departure left a hole in the band. The band
has trudged on, enlisted the services of a new vocalist via a
reality TV show search and came out with a competent new post-Blanco
record called Buhay. But their charismatic ex-vocalist and ex-chief
songwriter virtually defined the Rivermaya sound through eight
studio albums and plenty more compilation releases. When he left, he
took a humongous chunk of the Rivermaya spirit along with him.
Blanco took a year off after quitting the band
to pursue his other interests, which, as it turned out, included
designing for a clothing brand, photography and travel. A day before
our nation’s 110th freedom day, Warner Music gathered a select
group of media for a special listening session to introduce “an
exciting new artist.” It was, as we found out soon enough, Blanco,
back from his meanderings to pursue his foremost passion. Knowing
that Rivermaya is also signed under Warner, and that the two sides
didn’t exactly part under the best of terms, the obvious first
question of course, is if the label didn’t mind having Blanco
share space alongside his former cohorts. Warner exec Jim Baluyot
obviously doesn’t think so; he produced Blanco’s upcoming debut
album and clearly thinks there’s no issue or conflict having both
talents under one label.
Baluyot compares Blanco’s foray into solo
artist territory to those taken by Kitchie Nadal (formerly of
Mojofly) and Barbie Almalbis (of Hungry Young Poets and Barbie’s
Cradle). While these female artists achieved considerably more
favorable notices after breaking free from their respective groups,
the critical and commercial appeal of a male vocalist going solo has
yet to be tested. Ely left the Eraserheads but resurfaced with The
Mongols and later, Pupil. Bamboo beat Rico to the punch and exited
Rivermaya early in the band’s career to front the band that
carries his name. There was Wency Cornejo’s crack at solo stardom
after Afterimage, but evidently, that didn’t pan out too well. The
guys behind “Next In Line” and “Habang May Buhay” are now
back together with a new album.
Still, if Blanco’s innate musical and
songwriting skills (evident in the single “Yugto,” which is now
being heavily promoted on commercial FM radio) are anything to go
by, we’re betting his’ is going to be a success story. Listening
to the full song, I thought it was unusual, daring and powerful.
From the obvious South Asia-inspired intro, his soaring vocals over
an anthemic chorus and a bridge that reminded me of the vocal
calisthenics of Queen, it is a song that demands to be heard.
Through “Yugto,” Blanco’s message is clear and there is no
mistaking it: there would be no meek attempt for a quiet re-entry
into the musical mainstream he so suddenly abandoned. Rico Blanco is
back in a big When the album drops sometime in July, his friends and
foes, supporters and detractors and everybody else familiar with the
work of this enigmatic artist is going to be in for something big.
E-mail the author at pjcana@gmail.com
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