Ebe Dancel (Mike Alquinto, NPPA Images)
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Sugarfree fans still remember the night of March 1, 2011 when the band staged its farewell concert at Eastwood City in Libis. Prior to the event, frontman/chief songwriter Ebe Dancel had been holding solo gigs in various bars all over Metro Manila. Music industry observers knew it was only a matter of time before the singer-songwriter returned as a solo artist.
Last week, Ebe invited Yahoo! Philippines OMG! and other select members of the press to an intimate listening-party-of-sorts, and gave them a preview of his solo debut, "Dalawang Mukha ng Pag-ibig."
The record, released by Warner Music Philippines, is actually a double CD composed of all-original songs: the first being a 10-tracker with the second one being acoustic renditions of the songs on the first CD.
First single
According to Ebe his first single, "Muli," came at a time when he was already considering moving on to other ventures, away from his previous band. With its themes of starting over and doing things differently a second time around, the song is sneak peek into the mind of an artist who simply wanted to break away from his comfort zone, with anticipation of going back to square one.
The process wasn't easy for him, of course. His feeling the morning after his former band's farewell concert was one of quiet restlessness. "I had a band for 12 years and gave up everything for it...because I was so convinced that that was what I had to do."
"Nung nawala siya, nakaka-diskaril (When the band disappeared, my life got thrown off track). I was lost for a while."
This process of readjustment was obviously still ongoing as evidenced by his amiable-but-tentative demeanor during the launch. "This is the first time in months that I have faced the press," he says. In between songs he would be crouched on the comfortable chair, fiddling around with a cellphone game, but his head cocked in such a way as if waiting for a reaction from the media.
He smiles at the collective applause.
'Classic Ebe'
The songs are still "classic Ebe": lyrics that tug at the heart, melodies that stick to one's head, and arrangements that are both grandiose yet nonpretentious. The slick instrumentation due to a number of people who worked on the album, such as guitarists Rommel Sanchez, Francis Reyes, and Kakoi Legaspi; bassists Kelvin Yu, Mikey Amistoso, and Buddy Zabala; drummers Jazz Nicholas and Dexter Aguila; and a whole lot more.
"Maligalig" was written during a period of restlessness ("Parang maraming TV stations sa utak mo," according to Ebe) and was also the first song written for the album. "Wag Kang Mag-alala" is noteworthy for its Manila Sound feel, something that Ebe wanted to capture specifically for that song. Its dense instrumental outro was, to quote Pedicab guitarist/rock scribe Jason Caballa, "very Toto."
Ebe proceeds to pay tribute to the 80s with "Isang Probinsyano sa Maynila," an offshoot of a planned rock musical that hasn't panned out as of the moment. Itchyworms' Jazz Nicholas adds pounding drums in the vein of Poison and Guns n' Roses to a song about a man from the province finding his place in hectic Manila, bewildered as he goes "Ang bilis ng buhay dito (life goes fast here)!" Again, as with a lot of Ebe's songs, this one is autobiographical, recounting his days as a probinsyano college freshman.
Poignant track
The most telling of the tracks is probably "Paalam Kahapon," whose poignancy may be due to the fact that it was written for his former bandmates. "I was crying when I wrote this song," says the singer. "Everything I couldn't say to them I wrote here."
While the spectre of his previous musical incarnation is still hovering, Ebe isn't worried about comparisons with his old efforts. "Trying to not sound like yourself is the same as getting away from your shadow: it's impossible." And while he still hasn't spoken with his former bandmates, he expressed hope that they would be happy for him.
Ebe never seems to treat his new incarnation as a "solo" project, despite the creative freedom he now enjoys. "My album's liner notes might say I'm 'solo,' but I will never ever do it alone. There's always going to be a band beside me, my label beside me, my manager beside me, my family beside me. It's really hard to screw it up with such an excellent team beside you."
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