JM de Guzman, Sheng Belmonte gear up for singing stardom

DE GUZMAN AND BELMONTE. New kids on the recording block.

You don’t have to shout to sound spectacular—and JM de Guzman proves this in his exquisite cover of Ryan Cayabyab’s enduring “Sa May Bintana,” a piano-and-strings-backed number from his self-titled debut album.

While most screen heartthrobs-turned-singers shriek to demonstrate their high octaves to prove their singing mettle, JM smartly takes a different route to hit those daunting notes via carefully executed placement shifts—and even falsettos.

Supported by a repertoire that displays his baritone in a flattering light, the new kid on the recording block knows the kind of songs (and arrangements) that would showcase his musical gifts, which are on full display in Stephen Speaks’ “Out of My League,” New Order’s “Bizarre Love Triangle,” Ryan Cabrera’s “True” and the catchy “Carried Away.” His voice has a soothing, rough-around-the-edges charm, most notably in “Pagdating ng Panahon.”

Nope, De Guzman isn’t going to be the next Martin Nievera—his vocal range is rather limited, and his vibrato is more distracting than thrilling. In fact, those quavering, quivering trills are also present in “Yakap sa Dilim,” but they don’t throw you off as much as the imprecise notes in the theater-honed matinee idol’s banda-fied spin on the popular OPM ditty.

Fortunately, those “distractions” aren’t something that can’t be cured, concealed or improved on—so, we look forward to hearing more of JM’s musical experiments.

Hit revival

If Sheng Belmonte tickled your funny bone in last year’s hit revival of “Magsimula Ka,” wait till you import her six-track debut album, “Gigil,” into your portable media players—and we’re not just talking about the popular title track.

“Gigil,” the groove-fueled carrier single, conveys the charm and you-can’t-mess-with-me “posturing” of most pop-and-R&B tunes these days. We’re glad to note, however, that the single’s playfully frisky “uh-oh-uh-oh” portions allow the dusky beauty to show off more than just attitude—she also proves she isn’t daunted by the tricky, quick-paced melodic shifts in the tune that would confound less-talented singers. (We wonder, though: What’s with the padded vocals?)

The hum-worthy first cut isn’t the only song in the selection that bristles with energy and offbeat humor: In “Sino Love Ko,” “the “Pinoy Dream Academy” alumna amplifies her search for true love with unshakable electronica beats that will have listeners heading for the dance floor in no time.

The positive vibe continues in the anthemic feminist track, “Filipina,” and “Big Time,” in which she rallies Pinoys to never lose sight of their dreams in spite of the difficulties they’re facing.

And, there’s more fun to be had in Sheng’s feisty, tuneful repertoire: If you miss the soaring, swinging lilt of the Manila sound, the sultry harmonies and the performer’s leisurely cooing in “Bakit Nga Ba?” will transport you back to the music of Ella del Rosario, the Hotdog band, the Rainmakers, and Chona Castillo in the ’70s and ’80s. Even better, the VST-inspired “Ang Galing-Galing Mo” utilizes Gloc 9’s hip-hop sensibility to put a “contemporary” twist on the OPM genre!