Franco Tops My OPM Countdown for the First

Local superband Franco finally gets their very first #1 song in my personal OPM countdown this week, as Better Days, moves from #3 to #1.

Here are my ten favorite OPM songs for the week ending February 22, 2013 -

#1 Franco - Better Days (#3)

#2 Angeline Quinto - Pang-habang Panahon (#5)

#3 Toni Gonzaga - Kahit Na (NEW)

#4 Yeng Constantino - B.A.B.A.Y.  (#6)

#5 Mic Llave - Oras (#4)

#6 Christian Bautista/Sabrina - Terrified (#2)

#7 Ron Henley ft Kat Agarrado - Hagdan (#1)

#8 Liezel Garcia - Alipin Ako (#7)

#9 Aikee ft. Vanessa - DOTA or Ako (#8)

#10 Nyoy Volante - Pikit (#9)

Nichkhun of 2PM: Undeniably Cute and Adorable!

 

Well, I checked my Ipod and I don't have a single song from 2PM.  My knowledge of K-Pop is still in its infancy so you'd have to forgive me for that.  I usually just go by gut feel and liking songs that have good melody and 'punch' regardless of where it comes from.  However, undeniably, Korean artists have perfected the 'look' that's needed to titillate the young market it targets - ok, even the older market like me, like them abs you know haha!  So here's Nichkhun, who I learn, is not even freakin' Korean!! He's a mix of Thai-Chinese blood and could speak fluent English because he grew up in America!!  Oh well, whatever his roots are, he could very well pass for Korean in my book!

Macklemore Tops My Personal Countdown For the First Time This Week

Macklemore tops my personal countdown this week, as Same Love, his collaboration with Ryan Lewis and Mary Lambert moves from #4 to #1.  Their previous hit, Thrift Shop, peaked at #9.

Here are my ten favorite songs the week ending February 22, 2013 -

#1 Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, Mary Lambert - Same Love (#4)

#2 Biffy Clyro - Black Chandelier (NEW)

#3 Kacey Musgraves - Merr Go Round (#2)

#4 Taylor Swift - State of Grace (#3)

#5  Tommy Torres ft Ricardo Arjona - Mientras Tanto (#5)

#6 Jesse & Joy - Corre (#8)

#7 Robbie Williams - Be A Boy (NEW)

#8 Shineee - The World With You (#9)

#9 John Mayer - Speak For Me (NEW)

#10 Tulisa - Sight of You (#10)

Kacey Musgraves

Kacey Musgraves' song Merry Go 'Round has peaked at #2.  It was her very first top 10 hit in my personal countdown.

My Personal Countdown: David Bowie

 

Legendary British singer David Bowie has two #1 songs in my personal countdown which were thirty years apart.

 

1983 - Let's Dance (#1)

1985 - Dancing in the Streets (#7) (with Mick Jagger)

2013 - Where Are We Now (#1)

My Personal Countdown: Classified ft David Myles

Classified ft David Myles' very first top 40 hit in my personal countdown is Inner Ninja which peaked at #24.

New movement launched to promote OPM

OPM is not freakin' dead!  I have my own weekly OPM Top 10 countdown and there's enough songs to choose from every week to fill up the ten slots.  Now I wish more singers and composers would release local songs so I can have an OPM Top 40, distinct from the foreign songs countdown which has forty slots. 

New movement launched to promote OPM

The Philippine Jazz fest On this February

I only started listening again to jazz last year.  Sayang nga kasi the Jeff Lorber Trio performed here pala! Well, the Jakarta Jazz Festival has Lisa Stansfield.  I hope the local organizers can bring her here next year!  She's a gem!

Anyway, just read the link and find out the schedules of your favorite jazz artist!

There’s still time to catch the PIJazz fest

Ron Henley and Kat Agarrado Top My OPM Countdown This Week

Ron Henley and Kat Agarrado's Hagdan is the first rap song to top my countdown this year.  They move from #3 to #1.

These are my ten favorite OPM songs for the week ending February 15, 2013 -

#1 Ron Henley ft Kat Agarrado - Hagdan (#3)

#2 Christian Bautista and Sabrina - Terrified (#1) 

#3 Franco - Better Days (#9)

#4 Mic Llave - Oras (NEW)

#5 Angeline Quinto - Pang-habang Panahon (#6)

#6 Yeng Constantino - B.A.B.A.Y. (#7)

#7 Liezel Garcia - Alipin Ako (#5)

#8 Aikee ft Vanessa - DOTA o Ako (#8)

#9 Nyoy Volante - Pikit (NEW)

#10 Jason Fernandez - Maria (#10)

My Personal Countdown: Jason Fernandez

Jason Fernandez has one top 10 hit in my personal OPM countdown.  Maria peaked at #10.

A French Song from Sexion d'Assaut Tops My Personal Countdown This Week

French rap group Sexion d'Assaut get their very first #1 song in my personal countdown this week, as Problemes d'Adultes moves from #3 to #1.   Just last November, BB Brunes, another French band, topped my personal countdown with Coups et Blessures.

Here are my favorite songs for the week ending February 15, 2013 - 

#1 Sexion d'Assaut - Problemes d'Adultes (#3)

#2 Kacey Musgraves - Merry Go Round (#4)

#3 Taylor Swift - State of Grace (#5)

#4 Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, Mary Lambert - Same Love (NEW)

#5 Tommy Torres ft Ricardo Arjona - Mientras Tanto (NEW)

#6 Gerald Albright and Norman Brown - In the Moment (#7)

#7 David Bowie - Where Are We Now (#1)

#8 Jesse & Joy - Corre (NEW)

#9 Shinee - The World With You (NEW)

#10 Tulisa - Sight of You (NEW)

My Personal Countdown: Gerald Albright and Norman Brown

Jazz artists  Gerald Albright and Norman Brown's have one top ten hit in my personal countdown.  In the Moment has peaked at #6.

Jack White

22

Jack White has three top forty hits in my personal countdown. Weep Themselves to  Sleep peaked at #35, while Sixteen Saltines hit #19.  On and On and On has peaked at #4.

Christian Bautista and Sabrina Rule My OPM Top 10 Countdown This Week

It's not the first time that both Christian Bautista and Sabrina have topped My OPM Top 10 countdown.  This is already Christian's fourth trip while it's the second for Sabrina.  This time, it's for their collaboration on Terrified, a remake of Kara Di Guardia's song.  This week, the song zooms from #10 to #1.

Here are my ten favorite OPM songs for the week ending February 8, 2013 -

#1 Christian Bautista and Sabrina - Terrified (#10)

#2 Emmanuelle and Yeng Constantino - Manong Guard (#3)

#3 Ron Henley ft Kat Agarrado - Hagdan (#5)

#4 Never the Strangers - Bago Mahuli ang Lahat (#1)

#5 Liezel Garcia - Alipin Ako (#8)

#6 Angeline Quinto - Pang-habang Panahon (#9)

#7 Yeng Constantino - B.A.B.A.Y. (NEW)

#8 Aikee ft Vanessa - DOTA o Ako (NEW)

#9 Franco - Better Days (NEW)

#10 Jason Fernandez - Maria (NEW)




 

So Excited for Mumford and Sons' Grammy Album of the Year Award!

The last time I got so excited about an act winning a Grammy Album of the Year award was when the Dixie Chicks got it a few years back.  I have been rooting for the British folk-rock band Mumford and Sons to win it this year for their work in Babel.  I discovered this band a few years back when Sigh No More, their first album just stayed in the UK top 10 and the Billboard album charts like forever!  And the delight I felt when I did listen to that fascinating album!  Just like what the band said today, because Adele was nominated with them in this category last year, they knew they had no look in.

But this year, they finally did!  It's not that the competition was weak, it was really good, it's just that I felt it was time for folk-rock music to finally take centerstage!

Jason Fernandez: Another OPM Discovery

I frankly did not notice Jason Fernandez's song Maria at first.  It was in my OPM playlist for about four weeks when slowly I noticed how interesting the song sounded if played against the usual OPM pop mush that's in that playlist.  It's great that this guy has a new album around so there is more to Maria that I can listen to!  I am definitely getting the album and hopefully, find the time to review the songs in it and pick some of the gems, if there's any.  I might also add him in FB just in case he has some shows to do.  Would be interesting to see him perform his songs live!

Great That Kelly Clarkson Wins Best Pop Vocal Album

When I listened to Kelly Clarkson's latest Stronger album months ago, I was very surprised at how good it was!!  Seriously! Well, Kelly's previous work has also been very good but this time around, she takes her sound to a much more sophisticated level - it's really more polished now - and although she still has those kick-ass anthems she is widely known for, there are gems in her latest album which showcase a really different side of her!  

So it's fantastic that she got a Grammy award for all her efforts for this work!

Justin Timberlake Takes A Big Risk Musically

Justin Timberlake is probably the most ambitious guy among his peers - really doing his best to conquer both the worlds of film and music.  Well, he has conquered music fans worldwide already but since his last album was in 2007 yet, which could be a generation ago, music-wise, it's great to hear that JT is back with some new material.  

However, listening to his latest single, Suit and Tie, and his performance in this year's Grammy awards, featuring his new sound, it's obvious that he's really taking a big risk musically this time around.  I haven't warmed up to it yet so I'm excited to see how the whole new sound feels like since on its own, those singles sound out of sync with what is on radio today.

Dierks Bentley: Ruggedly Handsome Country Star

When the nominees for this year's Grammy award for Best Country Solo Performance were being shown on the TV, I noticed that four of the six nominees were hot, hot, hot!  I already wrote something about Hunter Hayes so now, it's Dierks Bentley's turn - who incidentally, also performed tonight.  I have been listening to Dierks music for sometime now and it's definitely one of country's best but I never noticed before how ruggedly handsome he was!  I guess because he looks much better in cropped hair than when he still had curly hair - a look he had before.

The Very Cute Country Star Hunter Hayes

I would never mistake Hunter Hayes for a country act.  There is obviously a disconnect on how cute he looks and the genre of music he's performing.  His Justin Bieber-ish look would make it easier for him to be lumped among the many pop stars but no, it's country that he does.  He hasn't quite made it mainstream yet but his talent is undeniable!

fun.'s Dapper and Fun Style

I just saw fun. perform at this year's Grammy awards and without fail, the band members, Nate Ruess, Jack Antonoff and Andrew Dost, were dressed in their very unique preppy hipster style!  I especially like the sheen of Nate Ruess' shirt.  It was in plain color but when the lights land on it, it looked like silk or silky leather - if there's such a thing!  If I were just 20 years younger, this band's look would be the one I'd be wearing on the streets!