Martin Nievera takes a trip down memory lane

NIEVERA. Revives musical gems in “Kahapon…Ngayon.”

MARTIN Nievera’s latest album, “Kahapon…Ngayon,” is significant not only because it takes OPM lovers on an extraordinary musical trip down memory lane, but also because it demonstrates the 54-year-old balladeer’s willingness to let his songs take their course without too much pushing and “projecting.”

The 12-track recording benefits from this shift in performing style. Yes, the enduring songs in Martin’s well-chosen repertoire don’t require gimmicky singing and too much vocal showcasing to be appreciated—they’re inherently lovely gems whose words and music speak for themselves.

Old habits die hard, however, so you can still hear the singer’s occasional excesses in George Canseco’s “Kastilyong Buhangin,” Constancio de Guzman’s “Maalaala Mo Kaya” and Ryan Cayabyab’s “Paraisong Parisukat.” But, for the most part, Martin manages to keep those “aural irritants” in check.

More theatrical than pop

In the case of “Paraisong Parisukat,” the song’s gorgeous melody and dramatic complexity are more theatrical than pop, so its soaring sections and continually shifting tempos are difficult to pull off because they require free-flowing spontaneity, interpretive skill and alternating subtlety and vocal bombast.

The album’s exceptional picks are served well by Martin’s “adjusted” showmanship in these numbers: Ernani Cuenco and Snaffu Rigor’s “Bato sa Buhangin,” Nonong Pedero’s “Buhay ng Buhay Ko,” Mike Velarde and Dominador Santiago’s “Ikaw,” Levi Celerio and Resty Umali’s “Saan Ka Man Naroroon” and the midtempo tweaking of Canseco’s “Kapantay ay Langit.”

Ironically, the album’s best cut isn’t even sung in Tagalog: It is Gregorio Labja’s Cebuano love song, “Usahay”—a no-frills revival that Martin renders with palpable honesty and moving clarity.