GARCIA. Pristine voice and “uncluttered” singing style.
WE were happy to catch Liezel Garcia in a recent segment of Boy Abunda’s “Ikaw Na” on “Bandila,” because her impromptu “singing exercise” with the music-loving host reminded us of the “Pinoy Dream Academy” alumna’s unique gifts as a singer—as she skillfully demonstrated in her a cappella cover of Leah Navarro’s “Ang Pag-ibig Kong Ito.”
Unfortunately, you won’t find the OPM classic in Garcia’s four-track “’Di Ko Kayang Limutin” EP or in her full-length, self-titled debut album. Just the same, both collections have more than their share of songs that showcase Liezel’s pristine voice and “uncluttered” singing style.
Six of the 10 cuts are love themes from popular TV soaps, most notably Rox Santos’ “Ngayong Alam Ko Na” (from “Two Wives”) and Jessa Zaragoza’s “Bakit Pa?” (from “Kung Ako’y Iiwan Mo”)—many of them treated with care and sophistication, and devoid of the vein-popping vocal histrionics common among “teleserye” singers these days.
The repertoire includes Garcia’s sassy take on Jaya’s “Wala Na Bang Pag-ibig?,” Jonathan Manalo’s jazzy makeout track, “Dance With Me,” and her stirring, Ogie Alcasid-penned duet with Bugoy Drilon, “Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala” (from “Walang Hanggan”)—one of the season’s most memorable ballads. Even her revival of Rodel Naval’s “Lumayo Ka Man Sa Akin” is worth a spin, despite some off moments in its arrangement.
TIMOMATIC. Discovered in talent searches.
Timomatic
You want to dance? You’ll find a good ally in Timomatic, who’s making a splash in the pop charts with his 13-track debut collection, “Timomatic”—which features his fusion of R&B and dance music (the No. 2 hit, “Set It Off,” “Can You Feel It?” and “Give Me Your Love,” featuring Miracle). The Nigerian-born singer-dancer first made a name for himself when he joined talent searches—on “So You Think You Can Dance?” and “Australia’s Got Talent,” in which he placed third!
Gina Wilson
Recently, we were also pleased to see Gina Wilson—the younger sister of Monique (who’s currently wowing audiences in “King & I”)—performing again, at theater actress Irene Alano’s “Back From The West End” concert at Strumm’s Jupiter.
Gina’s guest stint was special (she sang the stirring “The Movie In My Mind”), because it’s been 10 years since she last appeared in musicals—in the German productions of “King & I” and “Miss Saigon.” Thereafter, she decided to take a break from acting to take care of her precocious twins, Max and Jacky. But, as they say, once an actress, always an actress!