AT A GLANCE
A solo music act that we really want to hear more about is Shanne Dandan.
This week’s listing features some very talented ladies whose music style runs the gamut: from art-y alt-pop to glitzy R&B, vibing hiphop to power ballads.
A solo music act that we really want to hear more about is Shanne Dandan. A solid songwriter as she is a powerhouse vocalist, her music stands out for its artistic leanings. Her recently released tune, the ethereal sounding “Iyakin,” sees Shane Dandan dabbling in alt-pop-tinged drama with traces of prog fusion thrown in the mix. Ditto, Shane likes her song, which is heavy on imagery.
I wouldn’t even attempt to interpret exactly what the song is about except that it's about the passage of the day measured by the light that escapes and eventually turns to dusk, which all seems like a dream. Talk about mood and vibe. This is Shane Dandan’s default and should be required listening for alt-rock aficionados and listeners of pop to get a measure of depth in their listening diet.
In case you missed it, “An Art Gallery Could Never Be As Unique As You” & “Ligaya” singer mrld returned with the new single “Sandali.” Whereas her previous singles were modern-sounding soft ballads that resounded with Gen Z’ers, her latest makes a 180-degree turn to Hip-hop and R&B-inflected sounds. The singer shares that her new song is inspired by the BTS song “Lowkey,” sure enough, this mid-tempo bop feels like mold is going to bust a dance move anytime within its pop-and-lockin’ 3-minute plus runtime. I guess this is mrld (real name Meriel de Jesus) showing there is more to her than just her ode ballads.
Newly-minted R&B and Hip-hop solo act Yennyboo, a.k.a. Yen Durano, drops a tuneful R&B-inflected ditty in “Sayo.” Chilling is the order of the day for Yennybooo, who finds time to drop some cool tunes in-between roles in her Vivamax movies. Listen to Yennyboo’s previous tracks, such as the moody and vibing “Sativa” and the sexy R&B grind of “On the Low,” to know that she’s not just playing music on the side when she’s not acting. If anything, it’s the other way around.
Speaking of Vivamax actresses, Dyessa Garcia also makes a decent try for pop music on her Vicor debut titled “Tanggap Ko Na.” Dyessa goes for a piano-decked ballad that rises and climaxes in all the right places. And wouldn’t you know, Dyessa Garcia can render this power ballad with all the apropos heart-rending emotion that make “Tanggap Ko Na” the hugot song we didn’t think we needed.
And on the side of Pinoy rap, Juan Caoile and Kyleswish are at it again, keeping the momentum going with their new single, "SA’YO LANG.” The ‘Marikit Sa Dilim’ architects have a new sonic vehicle to cruise on in this bouncy banger about a beautiful distraction they can’t get their minds out of. Featured here is rapper Jawz, who provides the motor mouth rap break that runs counter to Kyleswish's own breaks and Juan Caoile’s melodies.
ALLMO$T members are all in for brand-new track titled “boyfriend.” This is the latest upbeat banger from hook singers Clien and Jom and main rappers Crakky and Russell, a fast-paced affair that just screams for its own dance challenge on TikTok.
Catchy melodies are Ace Cirera’s main weapon of choice in his song titled “Takip Silim.” Ace has always distinguished himself as a rap artist who goes for catchy tunes with throwback themes to easier days and is so good at crafting little bubblegum pop with a hint of rap flair like this one.
