Barbie Almalbis: Aglow with love and faith

She sings with palpable passion, she writes songs with a poetic twist, and she paints, mostly in watercolor, portraits and visuals of surreal expressions. This multi-talented artist is one of the country's most recognized women of Pinoy rock. Yvette Barbra Hontiveros Almalbis-Honasan a.k.a Barbie Almalbis continues to be a captivating presence in the Philippine music industry.

Indeed, change is the only permanent thing in this world and Barbie Almalbis is a not exempt from this reality. Critics and fans are slowly grasping her sudden shift from being with a band to taking a solo flight.

After her stint as lead vocalist of the six-year-old band, Barbie's Cradle (with eight music awards to boot), right after being with Hungry Young Poets, Barbie is back to her roots. Alternative, that is. This is very much felt and heard in her new album "Parade" under Warner Music-her first album as a solo artist. It is not a one-woman show though. She's joined by Franklin Benitez, who mans the drums, and Ritchie Ramos, who plays the bass guitar, both of whom are buddies from her previous bands.

Leaving the cradle doesn't mean she's at odds with her band mates. There's no rift, no rivalry, no suspicious conspiracy at all. "I never plan my life. It's God who puts direction into my life," she relates, adding that her relationship with Jesus Christ has brought in a major change into her life. Her spirituality manifests how she writes her songs, how she performs and how she relates with people. Abrupt Shift

"It was not a career move or something. It was something in my heart-to move on and do something different," Barbie reveals.

Rommel dela Cruz, a former band mate at Barbie's Cradle, once said in an interview that he knew Barbie wanted to go solo before she finally informed her band mates. "It was something I expected to happen since Barbie wanted to go solo," revealed Rommel, who is now doing the bass riffs for Freestyle.

Hungry Young Poets and Barbie's Cradle fans are either skeptic or supportive. Disbanding has always been disheartening, but for these two great bands, the music never stopped even when Barbie stepped out as the vox, songwriter, at the same time guitarist.

According to speculations, Barbie's newfound spirituality had something to do with her departure from the Cradle. Barbie's Cradle was said to be too secular, does not jive with her faith so as a result, she would have a hard time introducing her religious materials. But Barbie maintained that the decision was more of a divine intervention.

Musicality-wise, Barbie is back to the more rock and alternative sound. Her musical influences-Sarah Mclachlan and Bjork-greatly shaped her musical focus.

New wine skin - "I love what I'm doing."

Her soft entry as a solo artist was made official with the release of "Barbie The Singles" album in July 2005 under Warner Music Philippines. This album (in audio and VCD format) is a compilation of Barbie's songs she wrote with her previous bands, plus a new entry that became a hit as it was used in a Close-Up commercial-"Just A Smile."

2006 proved to be an eventful year for Barbie, beginning with the successful release of her first solo album "Parade" under 12 Stone Records/Warner Music Philippines. Her first single "Dahilan" earned countless radio airplays. The love song, according to Barbie, is dedicated to Jesus Christ. She wrote it while riding in a van heading to Baguio for a gig last year. That's why they, together with album producer Jack Rufo, added an ethnic beat to the song's intro. Just a little trivia: Teddy Corpus of Rocksteddy conceptualized the video of "Dahilan." Rocksteddy is under 12 Stone Records, the same management outfit that handles Barbie and Kitchie Nadal.

She also had her first major concert last year at the Big Dome (Araneta Coliseum) where it will be remembered that she had a "rocker" number with her mom, whom she got her "rocker" genes.

Almost every song of her album such as "Give Yourself Away," "For the World" and "Little Miss Spider" are noticeably spiritual. Of course, the guitar work is highly commendable. Excellent riffs are Barbie's trademark, though she's now more focused on light strumming.

Last year brought her love as well. She got married to Martin Honasan who comes from a controversial political family. June of 2006, they put an end to rumors saying that they're living together by admitting that they were already husband-and-wife. They got married in a simple Christian church wedding that was solemnized by a pastor.

Both actually share the same passion for the arts. Martin is a painter, too. The couple, however, remains very private about their personal and married lives. Barbie, nevertheless, joked that she wants to have twins this 2007. Let's all watch out for that!

Commercial offers continue to pour in for Barbie. Aside from Close-Up, she also performed two theme songs for Sunsilk, one of which she did with Kitchie Nadal. Both are also celebrity endorsers of the shoe brand, Sketchers and the clothing line, Bayo. Come January 19, Kitchie and Barbie will have a joint concert at the Araneta Coliseum sponsored by Bayo.

Talk has it that both are lesbians and that they share a special relationship. In a TV interview, Barbie debunked the rumors. "Nasasaktan ako pag-nakakarinig ako ng mga ganung sabi-sabi. Deep in my heart, I know that only God vindicates a person." It was a simple statement, yet Barbie was truthful enough to say it in public. And yes, only God vindicates a person that's why this writer doesn't welcome debates on this issue.

Still, the angelic voice and the playful doll that she is, Barbie is just what the music scene needs, as she continues to rock with songs that are uplifting and upbeat.