The Pinoy Idol stage was filled with the relaxing
tunes of the classics last week as the country's premiere balladeer Basil
Valdez mentored the reality singing competition's Top Six contestants. The
remaining Idol finalists rendered their own interpretations of songs
popularized by the legendary music icon, and received professional advice from
Basil as well as from Pinoy Idol's very own judging panel—Ogie Alcasid,
Jolina Magdangal, Wyngard Tracy.
First on the Idol stage was 21-year old Jayann Bautista who sang "You"-the lone English song for the night. During a one-on-one rehearsal with Basil, she was given pointers on how to improve her performance—advice that she clearly took to heart.
"Maganda nga na you took my word sa first stanza," praised Basil after her performance, referring to his advice on giving extra attention on the first few parts of the song. "Natumbok mo yung notes," he added.
Wyngard seemed to have the same opinion and remarked, "I liked the version. Medyo mababa lang ng onti yung pitch, pero I liked it very much. Ibang-iba. Not the usual version that Mr. Valdez did."
Both Ogie and Jolina, however, thought that there were too much vocal stylings going on. "Dahil nilagyan mo pa ng mga style, parang gumulo lang sa akin ng konti," observed Jolina. Ogie agreed and added, "It started really good. Smooth...and then, kung ano-ano na ginagawa mo," he told Jayann. "Jolina's right," he pointed out. "You should've sung it simply, but from your heart."
Kid Camaya interpreted "Paano Ba Ang Mangarap," a song which the 24-year-old Idol hopeful admitted to have memorized by heart along with other Basil Valdez classics. During rehearsals, Kid was surprised to have been applauded by the music legend himself.
After his performance, all four judges were impressed. "Alam
ko na ang dahilan bakit ka pinalakpakan ni Mr. Basil Valdez," observed Wyngard.
"That was very, very good." Jolina agreed and added, "Alam mo yung kanta na
yan, sobra-sobrang ganda. Pero nung kinanta mo, mas lalo siyang gumanda."
"Ang gusto ko sa 'yo ngayon, nakikita ko lumalaban ka na, e," praised Ogie. "At kumakanta ka na. I have to disagree with Wyngard. I don't think it was just good. I think it was excellent."
As for Basil's comment? "Kaya kita pinalakpakan, talagang mahusay ka," he told Kid.
Pinoy Idol's resident rocker Ram Chaves opted to take a different route this time and sang a reggae-inspired version of "Ngayon at Kailanman." He dedicated the song to his wife and to his Dubai-based father, both of whom were seated in the audience.
Basil liked Ram's interpretation and thought that the rocker's happy reggae approach was very different from all the other recorded versions. "I recorded that song 31 years ago," Basil recalled. "Pero yung [version mo], kakaiba kasi gumaan ‘yung kanta. Nag-enjoy ako."
Like Kid's performance, Ram's performance was also lauded by the three judges who praised the Cagayan de Oro local for injecting a lively energy into the performance.
"Pero next time na mag-perform ka at gawin mo yung song na yun, siguraduhin mo lang na kinakantahan mo rin yung mga nagbayad. ‘Wag lang asawa mo," Wyngard advised. "But that was very good," he added.
Twenty-year-old Gretchen Espina interpreted "Gaano Kadalas Ang Minsan." Gretchen clearly sang the song with much heart, and was teary-eyed after her performance.
Ogie lauded her interpretation and said, "I think you're showing maturity in your singing. Ang ganda-ganda. I really liked it. Ngayon hindi na magalaw yung mga kamay mo. I'm so proud of you. That was really well done."
Jolina also praised Gretchen by pointing out the singer's emphasis on the emotional parts of the song. "Nagustuhan ko doon, mga bitaw mo na...yung pagkaka-diin mo sa ibang words na dapat talaga dinidiinan dahil ‘yun ‘yung emotional doon sa kanta na ‘yun. Maganda yung pagkaka-bitaw mo. Very good!"
