From the bistro to the Big Dome

Given the popularity of its last three albums, I honestly wondered when M.Y.M.P. would finally get out of the small bistros and take its music to the Big Dome. The task does seem daunting for any artist but it is also a fact that hereabouts, the true test for an artist is to do a concert at the Araneta Coliseum before 15,000 people. If a singer or a group can fill up that huge venue then nobody is likely to raise anymore questions if they are truly a success or not.

Well, M.Y.M.P. has decided that it is now the right time for that big concert. Titled M.Y.M.P: Best, the show will be held on the evening of Friday, Nov. 18. Produced by Live Artists Production, Inc., it will showcase the music that has mesmerized the country these past few months as dished out by Juris Fernandez and Chin Alcantara on vocals, with John Angeles on drums, k-hon and percussion and Andrew Advincula on bass. It will also feature special guests Janno Gibbs, Jay Durias of South Border, Duncan Ramos and Vince Alaras.

The rise of M.Y.M.P. is one of the big surprises of the year. The public has probably gotten tired of wailing singing champions and loud rock bands. So they decided to give their ears a rest and switched to the mellow pop sound of M.Y.M.P. The group has always been one of the better ones around. In fact, the first album, Soulful Acoustic, released when M.Y.M.P. was still a trio, did very well saleswise. It showed off the group’s songwriting skills with good originals like A Little Bit, which copped the People’s Choice Award at the Awit two years ago and Tibok ng Puso plus competently done covers like Every Little Thing (He Does is Magic).

Beyond Acoustic came next. This one safely hewed to the same formula. There were the new compositions like Get Me, Jam (Set Your Spirits Free), Magical Feeling and Would You Be My Girlfriend and some well-chosen covers like Kailan, Fast Car and Tell Me Where It Hurts, all done by the soothing voices of Juris and Chin. The spare guitar-based set-up of the first album though has now given way to the use of additional instruments and this gave a truly professional finish to the whole package.

All well and good but it was the arrival of the third album Versions and Beyond that lifted M.Y.M.P. to phenomenal status. The album is made up entirely of covers of the well-known songs Juris and Chin usually perform in their live gigs. And you know how sentimental Pinoys are about old songs. They cannot get enough of them. That is why oldies but as the cliché goes, goodies keep popping up at the Big Dome and why every singer in town must do his share of revival recordings.

So when they heard M.Y.M.P.’s versions of their favorite songs, there was no more question that they would flock to the group’s gigs and buy copies of the album. Included in Versions are True Colors, Especially for You, Constantly, The Closer I Get to You, Whenever, Wherever, Whatever, Eternal Flame, For All of My Life, Say You Love Me, Beauty and Madness, At Your Best, You are Loved, No Ordinary Love and Julia Fordham’s Love Moves in Mysterious Ways which became a hit for another mellow sounding singer Nina.

These two albums Versions and Beyond Acoustic are the two volumes that make up the even more successful Versions & Beyond. This is an example of a clever marketing ploy that lured buyers to the stores with just a small amount of additional investment. In this case, the boxed cover. The lure is that buyers will save a hundred pesos if they purchase this repackaged edition instead of buying the two albums separately. And you know how Filipinos are with bargains, they also cannot get enough of those savings.

As a result, Versions and Beyond was recently proclaimed six times Platinum. That means sales of over 360,000 pieces and people are still buying. I am not surprised. The two-volume set is an excellent way to experience the music of M.Y.M.P., light, melodic and sweet.

Incidentally the letters M.Y.M.P. stand for Make Your Momma Proud. I am sure Juris and Chin are very happy they are certainly living up to their name. More so, when they conquer the Big Dome.