Martin Nievera springs a surprise in latest OPM album

NIEVERA. Evinces growth in “Mga Awit at Damdamin.”

The prolific Martin Nievera possesses one of the best pipes in the country. Having said that, however, we must admit that it’s been awhile since a recording of his has fully engaged us—until “Mga Awit at Damdamin.” As his latest album proves, Martin still has a few tricks up his musical sleeve and that’s all to the good.

The new recording sees the country’s top balladeer evincing growth though it isn’t without flaws. Just the same, it manages to discard a good number of his previous recordings’ sins of commission—most notably the overlay of reverb that has given his tunes, however well-sung,  a “cavernous” sound.

To demonstrate, Martin shines in his revivals of Rico J. Puno’s “Kapalaran” and Regine Velasquez’s “Dadalhin,” because his judicious use of echo draws out their message—they don’t just sound like complex songs that need to be hurdled. Besides, not everyone is blessed with the unique range and skill of Asia’s Songbird, who can take a challenging tune to its stratospheric heights and still sound effortless.

Final track

Another off-putting aspect of the balladeer’s performances is his penchant for vocal bombast, which makes listening to his repertoire not only tendentious, but also occasionally tedious. If you are partial to this type of singing, his rendition of “Ikaw Lamang” (from “Nasaan Ka, Elisa?”), the tendon-snapping final track, will get your ears ringing—and reverberating!

But, not every song in the richly diverse OPM canon has to be sung as a contest piece a la “Ikaw Ang Lahat Sa Akin” or “Kahit Isang Saglit”—you can’t get any more makabagbag-damdamin than that!

Take Nievera’s cover of The Bloomfields’ “Ikaw Ang Musika.” He initially sings it like a soothing balm, but wraps it up with an unnecessary excess of curlicues that are better heard in a show-stopping piece, not in a short but sweet romantic anthem about a guy who wakes up at sunrise to an exhilarating realization about his beloved.

Impeccable taste

The track listing reflects the balladeer’s impeccable taste in OPM, with hard-to-sing choices that include Basil Valdez’s “Ngayon at Kailanman,” Ogie Alcasid’s “Sa Kanya,” Dingdong Avanzado’s “Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal?,” Wency Cornejo’s “Habang May Buhay,” True Faith’s “Huwag Na Lang Kaya,” Hajji Alejandro’s “Ang Lahat Ng Ito’y Para Sa ‘Yo,” and Puno’s “Together Forever.”

Martin has been in the music biz since the ’80s—and his treasure trove of experiences reflects this. His talent-fueled interpretive skill and time-honed musicality are best demonstrated in his breathtaking cover of Anthony Castelo’s “Hahanapin Ko”—which will leave you asking for more!