2nd MyFABE Awit Awards: Pop Song of the Year 2011 Nominees

Here are the nominees for the MyFABEMusic Pop Song of the Year 2011 -

Chris Cayzer - Drive

Christian Bautista - I'm Already King

Daryl Leong - Sa Muling Pagtatagpo

Maldita - Porque

Miguel Escueta - Now It Starts

2nd MyFABE Awit Awards: Pop Act of the Year 2011 Nominees

I have adopted what the folks at the Grammy have done to their awards this year.  Instead of awarding each category by sex or group, I've also decided to just put everyone in one category, the pop category, etc.! 

Anyhow, here are the nominees for the Pop Act of the Year 2011 -

Chris Cayzer

Christian Bautista

Daryl Leong

Maldita

Miguel Escueta

The winner will be announced on December 31, 2011.

New OPM Music: Miguel Escueta's Now It Starts

This is actually the title track of Miguel Escueta's latest CD. It's surprising that they only released it now considering how radio friendly it is. It is actually one of the better sounding songs in his album and it's also original. Good thing it charts this week in the OPM Myx Countdown so I have a chance to vote for it. I don't know yet of any song of his to reach the Top 10 so it would be good if this one does the trick. So vote guys, vote! By the way, I'm planning to watch his Now It Starts summer tour this Friday in Makati. I forgot the name of the club but I'll check it later. It has Nami on its name and my friend says it's just near Fiamma.

My Votes for the OPM Myx Countdown Week Ending April 30, 2011

There are several new songs in the OPM Myx Countdown this week and all of them sound very promising.  Most likely some of them will be part of my list this next few weeks.  In fact, one of them is already #1 on my list.  I know this song because I already bought the CD of this guy before, so I'm already familiar with it.

Anyhow, here are my votes for the OPM Myx Countdown this week -

1.  Miguel Escueta - Now It Starts
2.  Somedaydream - Hey Daydreamer
3.  Frencheska Farr - Isama Mo Ako
4.  Maldita - Porque

Five Good Tracks from Miguel Escueta's Now It Happens - Track #5 - Rush Rush

I couldn't find any Youtube posting of Miguel's version of Paula Abdul's classic, Rush Rush so I just posted the next best thing - the original version. Miguel's version has some help from Kris Lawrence and Sabrina - and they all sound great in it - and actually, this song is a guilty pleasure for me everytime I listen to it. It doesn't take away much from the original but does enough to give it a more masculine feel - since Paula's version is really cute, girly, and yeah, breathy!

Five Good Tracks from Miguel Escueta's Now It Happens - Track #4 - Sleeping While the World's Awake

This is the third song originally written by Miguel Escueta for this album, and it actually gives me a lot of hope for the future of OPM. The unabashed emotions from his lyrics and the interesting rock musicality he infuses in his songs makes him an interesting artist to watch as he matures in his music and in his life. I guess his record company just had to infuse some remakes into his album just to make sure more people would listen to it (hey I don't mind, I learned of this album because of that Mariah Carey remake!), but I think Miguel has the ability to write an all-original material CD which could mirror where he is now, musically and emotionally in his life. This song is a wonderful indication of what he can do when he wants to rock!

Five Good Tracks from Miguel Escueta's Now It Happens - Track #3 - The Take Back

I first heard this song very early of last year and although it charted in the OPM Myx Countdown, I was not able to vote for it since I was not yet into the countdown that much. Heard in the context of this album by Miguel, it achieves a more distinct sound, and being an original composition makes it more interesting to listen to again and again. The sing-along type chorus would be perfect for karaoke type singing!

Five Good Tracks from Miguel Escueta's Now It Happens - Track #2 - We Belong Together

Male pop singers worldwide have been remaking some of Mariah Carey's classics - and among the most popular ones include an American Idol winner's take on Always Be My Baby.

Miguel Escueta does his own version of Mariah's big hit 'We Belong Together', and surprisingly, it's a fresh take on the song, with some lyrics tweaked (Francis M instead of Babyface) and a much slower delivery of the lyrics - not in rap-style which Mariah did for this song. I actually like this version and voted for it so it can stay in the OPM Myx Countdown for several weeks (which it did!).

Five Good Tracks from Miguel Escueta's Now It Happens - Track #1 - Now It Starts

I bought Miguel's CD early January this year, and it's only now that I've come up with my list of five tracks that I like from it. I've been busy with the Australian Open so I have a lot of local CDs to review the next few weeks.

Anyhow, this track, Now It Starts opens his CD, Now It Happens, and it's a perfect first track not only because of the title but of the upbeat nature of the song. This is an original composition by Miguel which he co-wrote with Nicolo Villonco, and the live version he does here, hews closely to what you hear in the CD!

We Belong Together by Miguel Escueta - My #9 Favorite OPM Song in 2010

I've heard this kid's original songs and they're pretty decent. However, it was his wonderful remake of this Mariah Carey's classic, We Belong Together, that really caught my ear! You'd never think a guy would dare do Mariah's vocal acrobatics in this song - and Miguel doesn't here - he instead, stamps his own take on the song - and re-phrases lines which he felt he had to - for emphasis. I really liked what he did to the song, including the guitar arrangements - that it's at #9 in my list this year - - the highest ranked remake of the year - and a song from a male solo artist.

My Favorite OPM Song This Week: Miguel Escueta's 'We Belong Together'

I normally do not like remakes but surprisingly, I like Miguel Escueta's version of Mariah Carey's big hit, 'We Belong Together'.  It's quite laidback and this version is driven by Miguel's guitar playing.  It's quite refreshing to hear the song without the vocal gymnastics which is common in Mariah's songs.