Listening to mixed flavors of music

By Nickie Wan/ Manila Standard Today
There are many compilation albums in the market that promise to provide a gamut of emotion, artistry, and of course entertainment. One of the best reasons why record labels come up with single CD featuring different artists is the hope to give listeners a sample of similar materials performed by [...]

Ricky Reyes’ paradise with a Golden Sunset

By Nickie Wang/ Manila Standard Today
Poets get inspired whenever they see the famous sunset of Manila Bay, tourists feel awestricken as the sun and sand of Boracay complement each other, and many people feel delighted by the soft sunlight that envelopes the streets of Puerto Princesa. But little do they know, there is another spectacular [...]

Elwood Perez: Master of mise en scene

By Nickie Wang/ Manila Standard Today

The cinema is a bizarre form of art. Movies can bring us to a time different from ours and they can involve us and while at the same time disconnect us from what we see on the silver screen. They can resurrect a personality, an idea, and a place, and [...]

Aljur Abrenica: A star in his own right

By Nickie Wang/ Manila Standard Today
In the serialized version of the 1984 hit movie Dapat Ka Bang Mahalin, beneath the high ratings and rave reviews lies a young man who is touted as the next matinee idol of GMA-7.
Aljur Abrenica is an emerging star. After becoming victorious in a reality-based talent search Startstruck in 2007, [...]

Craig David: Striking music with familiar chords

By Nickie Wang/ Manila Standard Today

IF Craig David’s enthusiasm while performing before a big Filipino crowd on March 27 at the Araneta Coliseum seemed a little over the top, that’s nothing compared to the excitement of thousands of people who were there to experience his first-ever live performance in the country.
The R&B star who sold [...]

Jed Madela finds comfort in doing cover versions

By Nickie Wang/ Manila Standard Today

Do listeners find cover versions of songs appealing? Some music may become evergreen because of singers who do cover versions of songs by other singers, but it takes a highly creative artist to make a song made popular earlier by another sound like it has been written for him.
Jed Madela [...]