New Pinoy boy groups

If you will bend a little and categorize them as boy bands, then, it can be safely said that Filipinos have had a great deal of success in producing pop stars in this category. But then, aside from the fact that these groups were all made of boys, there is nothing else to put the likes of the Eraserheads or South Border in the same pigeonhole as the Irish Boyzone or the American Backstreet Boys. As far as making pop hits by boy groups is concerned, I think that the closest we came to creating a successful boy band was in the case of the durable and very successful Side A 15 years ago and of the now defunct Introvoys and Neocolors.

For some unknown reason, all other attempts have been unsuccessful and this is very strange for a culture known to appreciate nice, sweet sounds, romantic love songs by male singers and where having good looks is seen as a big advantage. But maybe, those are also the reasons why. There is a surfeit of talented male singers in the country just as there are also plenty of attractive men. Filipinos are so used to them that when boys get together to form a group they are all expected to sound like Martin, dance like Gary and look like Richard. Any group with members who fall short of such perfection can only be expected to fail.

But as long as the large teenaged girls’ market for pop music exists, there will always be enterprising producers who will want to tap into this veritable mine and there will always be boy bands. Here are two new ones. Both have exceptional talent, wholesome good looks and are making their debuts with well-produced albums. Coincidentally, they have interesting stories as to how they got their names and they have also performed songs by Gary V.

Big Men by Big Men: The Gary V song in this album is Di Bale Na Lang. The group is made up of Lance Andrada, Angelo Miguel, Archie Alemanya, Niko Sandoval and Paolo Gabriel. They were former members of other groups who were handpicked to form a new one after they joined a dance and personality contest in a noontime show in connection with the promo of the song Big Big Man. Hence, they are now known collectively as Big Men.

The boys still have to get into the songwriting, arranging and producing bit. They also do not play any musical instrument. But they sound good together, are all attractive and also dabble in acting. If nothing musical happens to them after this album, then you can probably catch up with them in the movies.

Di Bale Na Lang is the first single release. The other songs included in Big Men are Thank You for Love, Laging Ikaw, Mahal, Don’t Steal My Heart, Sana’y Maniwala, Good Boy, Don’t Look at Me, Pagtatanong, All I’ll Ever Want, Langit Ko and the Pinoy dance classic Yugyugan Na.

17:28 by 17:28: The Gary V song in this album is the dramatic ballad Natutulog Ba ang Diyos. The group is made up of Joaquin Valdes, Jonard Yanzon, Giancarlo Magdangal and Chino Alfonso. They are theater professionals and enthusiasts who met while they were working at Trumpets, the theater group behind such excellently produced musicals like The Little Mermaid and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The name 17:28 is lifted from the Bible. It says "For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, We are His offspring." So they now call themselves 17:28.

Like Big Men, what these guys do basically is sing. The creative contributions come mostly from producer and arranger Mon Faustino but the harmonies are all in the right places and the R&B grooves come off smooth and natural. There is a stronger chance in the case of these boys of remaining in the music business but if they too decide to go elsewhere, it will not be the movies but on the stage.

Already fast-gaining ground in radio airplay is the group’s first single release, Sukob Na. The other songs included in the 17:28 album are Get Your Groove On, Sana Naman, I Ain’t Stopping’, To Love Again, All I’ve Got, Pinoy Pop, Into My Air, Come Breathe Me, You’ve Got a Friend, and Sabi Nila.