My kind of Christmas is you

For as long as I can remember, Christmas has been my most favorite time of the year, and Yuletide carols have never failed to make me feel lighter inside, a little more at peace with the world, and definitely more hopeful about what the future may bring. What is it about Christmas songs that make a person seem more affable and the atmosphere more convivial?

The Scrooges out there can rant all they want, but they can never diminish the fascination most of us have for the heartwarming songs of this joyful season. However they are sung — from the lively beat of The Jackson 5’s Santa Claus is Coming to Town to the melancholy whiff of Vince Guaraldi’s What Child is This? — Christmas carols are sure to bring you into Saint Nick’s zone.

Andy Williams says Christmas is The Most Wonderful Time of the Year and rightly so! As millions of people across the globe observe the rites of Advent, anticipating the birth of the Child Jesus, no tradition is as passionately observed as by playing music to herald this glorious event.

In just 10 tracks, local crooner Arthur Manuntag succeeded in encapsulating in his freshly released Christmas album what the Yuletide spirit is all about. Arthur was ably backed up by Romy Posadas on piano, Colby Dela Calzada on standup bass, Cesar Cruz on drums, Ian Jacinto on sax, and Jingle and Arnold Buena on electric keyboards. The album was mixed and mastered by Dennis Cham.

More than its technical attributes that my audio system manifested, the album was a joy to listen to. Arthur’s voice was mellifluous, and his musical genius evident in the way he gave a concert-like performance in a 4.45-inch compact disc.

My Kind of Christmas is You  — Arthur’s and daughter Jax Mikee’s original and refreshing composition — is the heart of the entire album, comparable to Jose Mari Chan’s Christmas in our Hearts or even Gary Valenciano’s Pasko na Sinta Ko. Melancholic as it is poignant, My Kind of Christmas is actually an expression of adoration and longing for a loved one at Christmastime.

Equally charming is Arthur’s duet with his son Sean Paolo in Let it Snow, Let it Snow. The jazzy beat is just as engaging as the other tracks, all of them rich in musical texture and subtleties.

Raffy Ignacio of Blueroom Artgallery introduced Arthur and I to each other when they visited the AudioFile-PhilStar exhibit during the recent staging of the November Hi-Fi Show. Tall and exuberant, Arthur is the type of person who easily puts anyone at ease with a sincere smile, a warm handshake and an engaging sense of humor.

His brand of music is old, molded from the influences of the crooners of yesteryear, such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, and Nat King Cole, among others. He is often referred to as the “Tony Bennett of the Philippines”  — a label that I disagree with. Arthur may sound like Tony, but the emotions he brings to the stage or even in the comfort of a studio are drawn and sculpted from his early experiences as the drummer and lead vocalist of the Krypton Band. Back in the 1980s, the Krypton Band made the rounds at Shakey’s Pizza Parlor branches, where they played a combination of folk, country and rock. Arthur later took his act to hotel lounges, crooning the way his idols did.

What Arthur is not is a “manufactured” talent or an overnight sensation. He went through backbreaking gigs in his musical journey, gaining training and exposure that paid off handsomely when he won the prestigious 19th Aliw Awards “Best Male Performer in Hotel Lounges and Bars” on Aug. 31, 2006.

“The music business and the entertainment business have become narrow-channeled,” Arthur says. “I have done well in my narrow channel because I have never deserted it. I’ve been singing for years, and there is still nothing that gives me greater joy than performing for an audience.”

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For comments or questions, please e-mail me at audioglow@yahoo.com or at vphl@hotmail.com. You can also visit www.wiredstate.com for quick answers to your audio concerns.