Ebe Dancel rocks the house on solo flight

EBE Dancel: Thankful for his second crack at recording and performing. GUNNAR CORNELIO

After dissolving Sugarfree to go solo in March this year, singer-songwriter Ebe Dancel struggled for inspiration and found it when he wrote “Muli” — a song that captured his desire to start anew.

The momentum goaded Dancel to write and record 20 more songs in the succeeding months. He performed eight of these tracks at the recent launch of his debut solo album, “Dalawang Mukha ng Pag-ibig” (Warner), at the Teatrino Promenade in Greenhills.

The transition from fronting a band for 12 years into becoming a solo artist won’t be an easy journey, Dancel told the Inquirer. “I have the same fears as every musician, because I’m starting, sort of, from the bottom again. It might take a while before things get rolling.”

Backed by Kettle Mata and Kakoy Legaspi on guitars, Roger Alcantara on bass and Dexter Aguilar on drums, Dancel started off with some ambient music, before unleashing the infectious hooks in “Maligalig.”

He sustained the energy with “Isang Probinsiyano sa Maynila,” whose lyrics recalled his first impression of the city where he spent his college years: “Ang aga-aga maingay na /Ang almusal ko ay busina.”

He started “’Wag Kang Mag-alala” — said to be his favorite among the rest — by caressing the notes of the song’s poignant melody; the music swelled into a gush of snazzy rhythms and beats midway through, evoking the Manila Sound of the 1970s.

“I like the song because it encourages people to be themselves,” he said.

A cellist accompanied his rendition of the melancholic “Paalam Kahapon,” while a saxophonist played in “Lapit,” which Dancel wrote for his “wife and best friend” Nikita.

To record the CD, Dancel collaborated with musician friends Raimund Marasigan, Buddy Zabala, Francis Reyes, the Itchyworms’ Jazz Nicholas and Kelvin Yu, Ciudad’s Mikey Amistoso and Sancho Sanchez, among others. While they all contributed their own inputs into the album, the songs still resonated with Dancel’s own distinct sound.

Two more tracks, “Hanggang sa Dulo” and “Ikaw Ang Aking Tahanan,” made it to the remainder of the hour-long set.

Bossa nova singer Sitti, whose hit song “Wag Mo Munang Sabihin” was written by Dancel, dropped in for a duet.

Before the finale number, Dancel expressed gratitude for being given “another chance” to perform and share his music. More than becoming a better musician, he said his goal now is to be a better person. On that note, he rocked Teatrino with the soaring vocals and driving guitars in “Muli.”