‘Iskul Bukol’ alumnus makes good: JOEY DE LEON PEES ON EARTH

JOEY TO THE WORLD (TOUGH HITS)

Joey De Leon

BMG Records

Although still best known as an integral part of the renowned and hilarious trio, the man who helped shape local pop culture has proven time and again that Tito, Vic & Joey can each go their separate ways and still be successful.

Joey de Leon has also established himself as an admired solo performer – linked to virtually all types of entertainment (and not unlike his two buddies). He usually thrived in many of them but a large part of his character remains an enigma. For even with De Leon cracking toilet jokes or clowning around in drag, it actually takes a novel approach to understand his philosophy in humor. Quite ironic, indeed, so forget about the artist’s incredible off-the-cuff remarks, or his reputation for being a notorious womanizer. None of those matter – yet. Disregard as well his string of low-budget (however lucrative) flicks in the ‘80s, and Joey de Leon is finally unmasked. Only then will the spectator fully appreciate his giant wit and comic genius.

Granted that the brand of humor revolves around spoofs and mischievous circumstances, De Leon is thankfully blessed with a gift for coining memorable catchphrases. It adds a whole new dimension to the gags and eventually gives him a working style that is all his own. In the latest release, aptly titled "Joey To The World," he naturally takes his wild ideas to the edge (inadvertently dragging along with him unwanted conservatives and media censors).

De Leon, in fact, began his showbiz life inside the music industry, so it’s very interesting to see him go back to his roots. Unfortunately, though, this album can’t even compare to a lousy Stevie B. collection (yuck!). The accompaniment, so plain and mediocre throughout, sounds like it was taped from a videoke machine. And that’s not a far-fetched description either because most of the tracks consist of parodies of Sex Bomb Girls’ selections. And with its dubbing and audio arrangements locked in sub-par quality, it’s safe for anybody to declare that the recording process was done in obvious haste.

It is therefore not surprising that some would accuse De Leon of jumping on the bandwagon of low-brow hits (with Ocho-Ocho and The Spageti Song, I agree that 2003 was the worst year in OPM history). As for his singing... well, let’s just say it won’t exactly win him a Grammy Award. There are moments, in fact, when his voice literally cracks, and yet De Leon (for some reason) cannot be bothered to fix it. He probably left it on purpose for us to take pleasure in errors and all.

And now, having cleared all that trash, you’d be surprised to learn that there’s still a lot of good in the album. Despite his carelessness, De Leon does seem like he’s just having fun with it. And it’s a good thing too because his droll mood instantly rubs-off on the listener. At least he made a genuine effort to create a solid atmosphere on that aspect. Besides, the background tunes were never really aimed at music lovers expecting a masterpiece, nor is it intended to plug Mr. De Leon as a great crooner. So basically, any cash spent on a copy would be for the lyrics alone. But it’s still worth it.

De Leon wrote, or should I say re-wrote, all the words to the tunes lined up. And this is where the artist really shines. He clearly had a great time with the sharp (but again wicked) wordplay and puns and never overdid takes on any of the songs. He never had trouble being in-control and that added to the luster. The lines are very funny indeed, with most of them in double-meanings and hidden jokes (you kinda expected it from him anyway). What’s more, he reaches the point of broadmindedness in some tracks that you actually hear him sing such offensive words by mispronouncing legitimate ones. Assorted verses are so offensive that a lot of people might actually cringe (but most likely cackle) upon hearing them.

The CD kicks off with Canton (I’m sure you can guess what De Leon did to that one). It’s a ‘50s-style number specially recorded for this collection, and Lito Camo wrote the melody – the man responsible for all those uncultured songs. Joey sings as a cook and that his specialty dishes include pansit bihon, guisado, lomi, and of course, the title track. He sings, "Sige na/Sa akin magpa-canton ka na at kung sexy ka at maganda, baka libre pa." Hee hee! If you’re into such outlandish wisecracks, you’ll find it priceless as well.

And that’s just the beginning. De Leon also distorts the Sex Bomb Girls‚ Spageti and other familiar jingles with the Ispotoki Song (about some woman’s lack of hygiene), Paepek Epek, and Thin Girl – an extremely blatant and almost offensive song about a woman’s clitoris. De Leon expresses that one with: "My ideal gel is just like a model/I like yes I like a very tinggel." Of all the songs in the album, that one made me roar out with laughter.

The Sex Bomb Girls are also featured guests in some of the tracks and it’s nice to see that they’ve improved their singing this time around. Anyway, De Leon carries on with Lab Asan Na, and Hahanapin Ka My Love (Sa Bawat Kanto’t Sulok). I don’t have to paint a picture on how he sang the last one, should I?

But it’s also good to hear that De Leon can still also write both amusing and wholesome verses too (at least compared to the others). They include Daliri (only he could come-up with a situation like that) and Testing, taken from the tune Sana Kahit Minsan that was popularized by Ariel Rivera.

The track, not for its story, is a significant one because it shows a Joey de Leon who can actually sing. Although with the least vocals in the Tito, Vic & Joey era, it’s a reminder that he can actually carry a tune if he really wanted too. But of course, De Leon brings us back to reality with Sensay Na, Tao Lang (another melody from an Ariel Rivera song), the final track in the album. His voice just breaks into smithereens towards the end, and in typical TVJ fashion, he quips: " " ‘Sensya na, hindi naman ako singer, eh."

In its 40-plus minute entirety, "Joey To The World" (with a cover of the artist peeing on the entire planet), is a nice little ride if you’re open-minded enough. God knows I’ve had my fun with it at the Greenbelt parking lot!

If it were anybody else besides De Leon (someone like the hackneyed Willie Revillame), he wouldn’t have gotten very far with such vulgarity and, sometimes, chauvinistic comments. But Joey easily gets away with it. And because he’s Joey de Leon, we just let him.

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Email: mister_foxy@yahoo.com