British vocal group Blake records OPM classics
Torch bearers of Original Plipino Music (OPM) rejoice! Renowned British vocal trio Blake (made up of Ollie Baines, Stephen Bowman and Humphrey Berney) has released a mini album made up of Filipino-penned classics.
“Blake: The OPM Album” contains six familiar songs led by the group’s well-raved version of Hotdog’s “Manila” which Blake has been performing live for quite a while. The group even performed with Filipina singers Rachel Ann Go and Joanna Ampil.
In a chat with Yahoo on December 19, the classical-pop crossover sensation expressed its admiration for OPM and the Filipinos.
“We genuinely love singing these beautiful songs which we recorded a few months ago,” said tenor Humphrey, who describes the Manila Sound era’s definitive tune as “a cool song to record because it is full of life and energy.”
"...with the gorgeous and talented Rachael Ann Go," the group wrote.
Produced by—surprise, surprise—Pops Fernandez
Local label Viva Records is behind the salute-to-OPM project, arranging for Blake to record its vocals in London while the rest of the sessions were done in Manila. Record producers who handled the project surprisingly included Concert Queen Pops Fernandez whom they dubbed as “our top lady in the Philippines.”
They got to befriend Pops through magazine editor Anton San Diego, their official Filipino handler. They intend to record a song with Pops, considering that their OPM album serves as “just a taster.”
Included in “The OPM Album” are two other Tagalog songs, “Sa Isip Ko” and “Kailangan Kita.” Those with English lyrics are “You Are My Song,” “Don’t Know What to Say (Don’t Know What To Do),” and “Say That You Love Me.”
The group noted that Tagalog is “quite phonetic when read on the page” and therefore easier for their “emotions to come through in the performance.”
Connecting most
Interestingly, the group singled out its take on “Say That You Love Me,” the Martin Nievera-original penned by Louie Ocampo, as the one it enjoyed most.
Humphrey explained, “We get to let go vocally with that song which should translate very well in a UK environment. It is immediately emotionally engaging which is a sign of a well-written song.”
Blake’s previous albums have sold over a million and a half copies, while its live gigs put them among some of the most revered performers today. Named after British poet William Blake, whom they regard as “unusual and more interesting than other English writers,” the group has sung at Wembley Stadium with 90,000 people in attendance performed before the British royal family.
Asked to pinpoint a particular ingredient of its success, Blake’s other tenor Ollie Baines said, “Part of what makes us tick is that we are three different characters. We each concentrate in particular areas so we can be more effective as a group. We sing different sets of music and since there’s no front man in the band, we always find the best man for a specific job.”
Nosebleed moment for Ryzza
Blake has also appeared on GMA Network's “The Ryzza Mae Show,” where they sung almost impromptu the popular ditty “Pusong Bato” right after Ryzza Mae taught them the melody and words. Once again, a Pinoy track appealed to their taste as they found it “pretty and sticks to the head.”
The group found Ryzza Mae so charming, they half-jokingly compared their meeting with the kid wonder to their personal encounter with iconic singer Shirley Bassey. On their Facebook page, they wrote:
"The biggest & craziest tv show we have ever been on in our lives, with the adorable and hugely talented host Ryzza Mae (8 years old!)"
Stephen revealed that Pinoy pop culture has an odd definition of nose bleeding (colloquial term for a Filipino who can’t express himself well in English). He told Yahoo that after announcing their appearance on Ryzza’s show, some of her Filipino fans said their young idol could possibly experience “a nosebleed.”
Stephen related that some of the group’s fans back in the UK reacted by saying, “What on earth Blake would do with this poor girl!”
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