Best of the best

Louie Ocampo

The recent musical tribute to songwriter Louie Ocampo on “Asap” was well-deserved, and Ocampo’s best songs were effectively and feelingly interpreted by some of the country’s best singers.

Aside from enabling viewers to savor Ocampo’s finest compositions, the long tribute also provided us with the rare opportunity to determine the best interpreters of them all.

Before zeroing in on individual performers, however, we sadly noted that the tribute lost some of its focus because there were too many interpreters shoehorned into the musical production.

We counted more than 20 solo or group singers, most of whom were given tiny snippets of songs just to enable them to be a small and insignificant part of the special tribute.

The showcase of Ocampo’s songs would have done better with just 12 singers—so, better focus and greater selectivity next “tribute” time around, please?

Of the singers who managed to make a significant mark in the special production, it was instructive to see that “golden” chanteuses Zsa Zsa Padilla and Kuh Ledesma shone brightest of all.

Zsa Zsa Padilla

Younger singers should take the time to figure out why these two veteran singers are still able to perform and register “stellarly,” despite the passing of the years:

First, it helps a lot that they are uniquely beautiful, and that their good looks are enhanced by similarly exceptional personalities and artistic temperaments that have grown in appeal and impact.

The signs of advancing age may be there, but they aren’t debit points. In fact, they enhance the veteran singers’ aura and charisma, and make most younger singing stars come off as shallow and callow in comparison.

On point of musical ability and identity, Zsa Zsa and Kuh are similarly exceptional, because they have remained true to their unique musical essence.

This could have rendered their performance predictable and “safe,” but they haven’t allowed this to happen and have in fact used their career and life experiences to enrich their musical performances.

All singers should strive to do this, because this “accumulated” artistry and the “insights” it has engendered keep performers continually vital and exciting, even in maturity.

Surprising

Another performer who did significantly well in the Ocampo tribute was, quite surprisingly, one of the youngest singers in the stellar lineup—Daniel Padilla.

That’s right, Daniel may be relatively young and inexperienced, but he stepped up to the plate and held his own, because he evinced an innate, natural “feel” for “crooning” that had an authentic feel and sound to it.

Yes, as a singer, Daniel is better known as a pop-rocker, but his stylish take on a couple of Ocampo’s songs was instinctively confident and impressive.

In light of Daniel’s surprisingly good showing on “Asap’s” tribute to Louie Ocampo, producers should take another, more informed look at Daniel as a musical performer and interpreter—and raise the bar of their expectations and future projects for him accordingly.

Obviously, he’s capable of more than what he’s been given credit for to date!

Daniel Padilla