BAND MEMBERS (from left) Tag Cantong, Kaye Malana-Cantong, Rey Cantong and Andy de la Cruz
After releasing three all-original records in the past, local pop-rock band Six Part Invention decided to shake things up with a covers album, “Stripped and Covered” (Universal Records).
As the title suggests, Six Part Invention’s latest offering features the group’s acoustic, more mellow take on 1990s hair metal tunes such as “The Flame,” “Two Steps Behind,” “Honestly” and “Heaven,” among others.
Although some pundits scoff at the idea of releasing all-covers albums, especially these days when the clamor for new songs is stronger than ever, the band, which spawned the hits “All This Time” and “Falling in Love,” stands by its decision.
After all, the band—composed of Rey Cantong, his wife Kaye and brother Tag and Andy de la Cruz—already has a sizable body of original material tucked under its belt.
“Doing the album was actually refreshing. I’ve always loved listening to 1990s rock, which has influenced our music a lot,” Cantong told the Inquirer recently. “This album is sweeter, which is a slight change from our past sound that was heavier, at times reminiscent of Evanescence.”
He pointed out that the band “had not even performed some of the recorded songs in live gigs.”
The album is also slated to be released in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
Asked how they made the 10 old tracks in their album sound fresher and more current, Cantong said they incorporated touches of electronica.
“It’s a big blessing that we have this strange ability to make certain songs sound like they are our own,” Cantong said. “Some people actually thought that Cheap Trick’s ‘The Flame’ was our original composition,” said Cantong, who arranges most of the songs.
Not known to many, Six Part Invention is actually behind the popular teleserye theme songs of ABS-CBN drama series like “Umaasa Lang sa ’Yo” for “Sana Maulit Muli” that starred Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson and “Falling in Love” for the Andi Eigenmann-starrer “Agua Bendita.”
Cantong, who also works as a music arranger of production numbers for shows like “ASAP,” “It’s Showtime” and “Pilipinas Got Talent,” said their having their songs featured on television shows did wonders to their career, giving them “good mileage.”
Does having his wife Kaye in the band affect his performance? “It might sound like a cliché, but you get more inspired. There’s instant rapport when you do live gigs,” he said.