Freed voices of Herbert C. & Myk Perez

Two male Pinoy recording artists whose debut CDs were recently put out offer varying types of music and meaty back stories that make them equally interesting to the ears. 

With open arms, the local radio airwaves welcomed the voice of Herbert C. through his ballad carrier single Pano Yon?. His songs’ genre and singing style somewhat fall in the company of ’90s balladeers like Renz Verano (Remember Me) and Jerome Abalos (Larawang Kupas). Yet, while the other two mentioned attracted listeners primarily on the strength of their husky vocals, his can be attributed to the carefully cooked recipe of songs with strong hooks sung by a voice that hits just the right notes without being forceful as to show off. 

“Lovelife ko po ang inspiration ng kantang Pano ‘Yon. Martir ako sa babae at lagi akong sugatan,” shared Herbert C. who after realizing the fulfillment a singer gets from recording his own materials now plans to record an album every year. 

Two tracks to probably get more attention are Akala Mo Lang ‘Yon, a piece blessed with an infectious chorus and penned for people who wrongly judge, and his rendition of the Willy Cruz-written Doon Lang, his favorite karaoke song.

The release of his first album (tracks mostly written and produced by the famed Gallardo sisters, Margot and Edith) is a monument to his peculiar kind of success story — one that involves imprisonment, talent development and unfailing service to fellowmen. 

In so short a time, he actually transformed from relatively just another prisoner at the National Bilibid Prison to a philanthropist of high caliber in the eyes of inmates, particularly those in the NBP Maximum Security Compound where he built the Himig Pagbabago Studio from which his album was recorded and mixed. His package as a singing and dancing entertainer, coupled by charisma with a capital C, earned him the monicker “golden voice” that people, especially those obviously clinging for hope, have begun idolizing him. A video showing him singing APO Hiking Society’s classics live in front of a delirious crowd should be able to explain that further. 

Understandably, Herbert C. has a gold mine of emotional baggage to extract from that helped him convincingly deliver the five songs tightly packed in his album titled Kinabukasan and distributed by Ivory Music and Video. 

Admitting he was reformed by incarceration and renewed relationship with God, Herbert C. acts to be a beacon of hope for people, whether inside or out of prison. He outpoured, “Paglabas ko dito, sana mas marami pa ang makarinig at makapanood ng shows ko. Gusto kong maging ehemplo para sa mga struggling artists na ‘wag mawalan ng pag-asa. Kung ako ngang nandito sa loob, nakagawa ng album, paano pa ‘yung nasa labas? Bigyan natin ng liwanag ang dilim.”

As of this writing, Herbert C.’s album already reached the gold record mark. 

Different from the kind of freedom Herbert C. experiences upon the realization of his music career, acoustic singer Myk Perez has a story of his own as far as getting off out of the box is concerned. He first got the public attention when he joined the first season of The Voice of the Philippines and went under the mentorship of Bamboo Mañalac. 

Now it’s time for him to go on a new journey as MCA Music, the major label that signed him, released his album simply titled My Acoustic and which features his own composition Honey Under The Moon.

“I’m so thankful to MCA for including my original composition which is really special to me,” he related. 

The track actually best represents his voice, sounding as if he’s sincerely talking to listeners without any bit of worry as to how to give justice to it, which is at times the case when a singer does a cover of a familiar song. That is not saying he didn’t nail the covers filling up his 11-track album. It’s just that he could have been given more room to put in his own work considering that Honey Under The Moon can go head to head melody and arrangement-wise with most in the track list. 

My Acoustic opens up strongly with Easy and his duet with Krissy Villongco, Two Is Better Than One. His easy-listening vocal run should make people close their eyes while smiling and thumping delightfully. 

More so, his renditions of Adele’s Chasing Pavements and classic tune Baby I Love Your Way, with its cool reggae feel, solidify his case as a guy with that soothing voice. 

Those interested to hear and see Myk perform may just go either to SM Sucat or SM Calamba on May 4 and 10, respectively. Both shows start at 5 p.m.