Zamboanga's Revelation launches debut album Amor y Sueño

CEBU, Philippines - Revelation, 2007 World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) multi-medallist and Zamboanga’s Pride, officially launched their debut album Amor y Sueño (Chabacano phrase for Love and Dream). The album is released through Zone 7 of Candid Records Philippines.

Revelation is comprised of Zamboangueño siblings Jimboy Calisang (vocalist/keyboardist), Shalmai Calisang (vocalist), Nuel Calisang (bassist) and Isaac Calisang (drummer). Although they all started performing in a gospel choir at a young age, the Calisang siblings grew up with different musical tastes. Collaborating on an album with all original works was indeed very challenging, but it was worth all the effort — Amor y Sueño showcases the fusion of pop, jazz, R&B, classical and Chabacano musical influences of the band members.

Produced by veteran album producers Arnold Jallores and Marlon Silva, Amor y Sueño’s carrier track is the very pop and bouncy “Ikaw” written by Jimboy, Shalmai, Marlon and Andrew Guevarra. The single has been enjoying heavy daily airplay on top radio stations 90.7 Love Radio, 101.1 Yes FM and 93.9 IFM for three weeks now.

Each song in the 12-track album is written based on personal relationships and recollections of the band members. Shalmai, for instance, wrote “Daddy’s Girl” for her sister who passed away and was a personal favorite of her father. Jimboy penned “Peace for Our Motherland” about twelve years ago as a hymn to Zamboanga. It was performed as an original competition piece ten years after at WCOPA in Hollywood, USA. Isaac, on the other hand, finished “Ignore” a few hours after his break-up with his girlfriend.

Other original ditties in the album are titled “Baby Come Home,” “Amor,” “Baby I Love You,” “No More,” “Kaibigan,” “Meant As One,” “Hymn to the Sea,” and “Sueño.”

Classically trained Jimboy stresses, “We wanted to apply equal treatment among the instrumentalists in the band. In the track ‘Hymn to the Sea,” for example, the bass player hogs the spotlight. He doesn’t just provide reverb for the band’s technical sound all the time.”

Prior to joining WCOPA, Revelation was awarded the Orgullo de Zamboanga (Pride of Zamboanga) in 2006.

Honorable Mayor Celso Lobregat has all praises for the band, “The band’s songs Amor and Sueño help reintroduce the Chabacano, a Spanish derivate language, to more people beyond Zamboanga. Singing Chabacano songs is a way of not only preserving but also strengthening the Chabacano language and culture.

Revelation joins the roster of mainstream musicians that include Buddy Zabala of Eraserheads/The Dawn and Bossa Nova Queen Sitti Navarro who also hail from Zamboanga.

Catch Revelation in Ormoc City on June 17. For booking inquiries, call STAGES at 818-1111 loc. 225 or 0917-8822838.