Dreams come true for Jed Madela, Jaya, Henry Katindig
Jed Madela
“Breathe Again”
Universal Records
Jed Madela. https://banderablogs.wordpress.com/
Jed Madela kept his promise: His new album would have original songs. He announced that he wanted new tunes, and composers responded.
Ten of the 14 tracks are originals. US singer-songwriter Keith Martin contributes three—“I Have You Here,” “Someday Soon,” “We’re Having a Party”—and they all fit in snugly with Madela’s style.
One can’t go wrong with love songs, and Madela has that singular ability to make any song sound great. The covers, including Fra Lippo Lippi’s “Later” and Barry Manilow’s “I Made It Through the Rain,” though concessions to a market that demands familiar material, happily come off fresh.
Madela thus confirms our contention that he’s the best pop artist of his generation.
Jaya
“All Souled Out”
Universal Records
Jaya left GMA Records because, she says, Universal promised to take good care of her and presented something new:
She’s not required to birit here, for one. Jaya sticks to what she does best, soul music—but plays it down like a woman taking stock of her life.
Her best moments are in Carole King’s “(You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman” and Michael McDonald’s “I Keep Forgettin’”—the tempo picks up and Jaya’s exotic vocals flex a bit of power.
Incurable romantics should listen closely to her takes on Bill Withers’ “Just the Two of Us” and Stevie Wonder’s “Too Shy To Say.”
Henry Katindig
“You & Me”
Independent production
This is the record to play when wooing the object of your desire.
Henry Katindig is an accomplished keyboard player, having learned the basics from his legendary clan and mastered the skills from years of performing here and abroad. With this, he fulfills every musician’s dream—to record his own songs.
The 10 tracks, nine of them instrumentals, are mostly upbeat and swinging.
The lone track with vocals, “I Dream of You,” features Jeannie Tiongco in a slightly flirty tone that nonetheless exudes elegance.
The musicians who played here are some of the best sessionists, plus a few young jazz artists: drummer Mar Dizon, percussionist Dingdong Boogie, bassists Noel Asistores and Bong Gonzales, flutist Rico Sobreviñas, guitarists Riki Gonzales and Ralph Bates. Cheers!
