A Tale of Two Balladeers: Freshman Mark Alain vs Veteran Christian Bautista
Mark Alain, the voice behind the radio hit "Maghihintay" made his first public appearance at the release of his self-titled mini-album.
To most listeners, even members of the working press, the masterful delivery of the yearning love ballad was all that mattered. Its 'Maruja'-referencing promise of eternal love told poignantly from a male point of view resonated well across demographics.
"Maghihintay" became a certified hit securing a six-month residency in the upper reaches of most radio play lists, and counting.
Imagine the surprise when the shadowy man behind the voice turned out to be a handsome twenty-something who speaks in Pilipino with a funny accent. Mark said he grew up in Basilan, Sulu and spent some time in the US. He decided to come home to finish his nursing studies.
His music connection goes several years back. He explained, "I got into the music business six years ago when I was in a band named Frio. We managed to release a record and a minor hit song.
"When I decided to go solo, I shopped around a demo with the record labels. Sony Music threw its support and now here's my debut."
Mark left Frio when the band started going for a more alternative pop sound. He felt then he might not be able to keep up with a rocking performance on top of the demands of college education.
On hindsight, it might have been a premature decision because his solo debut boasts of three slow songs and two fast numbers. Members of Frio also composed the songs on the album.
Two other ballads are just as charismatic as "Maghihintay". They collectively evoke the kind of love croons previously championed by the likes of Marco Sison and Rannie Raymundo.
The two pop songs, however, are the stuff of breezy tunes that should be pumping out of car stereos everywhere. The fifth track on record, "Binibini" walks the thin line between dazzling throwaway and truly magnificent. It's alt-pop friendly rhythm and stubborn hooks will be ringing in your ears for days on end and each time out, goose-pimples will be jumping all over your jaded pop ass.
Whether radio wimps out on playing it or not, "Binibini" is one of the best songs of the summer of 2011. Its acoustic guitar-driven riffing also makes it worthy of barkada jams in street corners everywhere.
Mark confessed, "There's a special message behind the album. Love may be universal, but I've not been quite lucky at love lately. Anyone in the same situation can relate to my record."
Another balladeer, Christian Bautista, will be among those who won't relate exactly to the special message in Mark's debut. Still single at an age when he should be settling down, Christian has a new project where he might as well be the luckiest bachelor in the world. His latest release, "Christian Bautista: Romance Revisited — The Video Collection," sees him doing it with some of the most beautiful women in tinsel town from Manila to Indonesia and Malaysia.
No, it's not what you're thinking, silly! Reprising a clutch of love songs composed and made famous by Jose Mari Chan, Christian renders seven Chan classics in his own inimitable style. Like Chan, it made him a household name in the Philippines and a cross-over phenomenon in other Southeast Asian countries.
On video, each remake gets the added makeover of Christian's winsome smile, and in one instance, a view of his sweaty naked upper body. His onscreen romancing of select stars such as Paula Taylor, Angel Locsin, Georgina Wilson and Angelica Panganiban, among others, is so naturally projected they can spark instant chismis whether they were ever an item. A hot kissing scene with Cristine Reyes near the end of "I Remember The Girl" will certainly leave its mark.
Three international videos round up the compilation. Christian mixes it up with pop idols from Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia in local adaptations of "Please Be Careful With My Heart" and "Ngiti".
Beyond his music, Christian is busy with obligations as ranking officer of OPM, the organization of Filipino performers. He's on top of the OPM-Pagcor Search for the Next OPM Star competition slated for a June 10 grand finals, and the OPM Fair scheduled on July 16.
