Agot Isidro’s “The Island” Review
There’s a commonplace phrase
Filipinos use to describe a certain situation. It’s called "sumunod sa uso",
which denotes a jumping on the bandwagon to what is trendy.
After its launch, Sitti’s
Cafe Bossa gained massive popularity, and with it comes the reviving of a genre
that’s been left to obscurity for more than 30 years. Suddenly, Bossa Nova is
everywhere, and no less than 3 other local artists have made records
purportedly to capitalize on the craze. I’m sure I’m still missing some.
An example is Agot
Isidro’s The Island. Now I admit that I do not know much about this artist,
except for the fact that she’s hardly a fresh face to the records industry.
Mostly singing pop-oriented tunes, The Island is Agot’s most recent album,
and it’s her first to go en route to Bossa Nova.
When I first received a copy
of this album – from a friend of mine who want to hear of my opinion – I didn’t
know what to expect; but I rolled my eyes when I had looked at the
cover. I know sensuality is good and all, but there’s a fine line separating
the ones that are artful and subtle, and to those that are blatant and gaudy.
It’s easy to tell which of the two more accurately describes The Island when
you are presented with a picture of Agot holding one of her straps as if to
remove her almost-diaphanous clothes. And how about we assuage the sexy fancy
more by entitling the carrier single as I Wish That I Was Making Love To You?
But enough of that. I
still tried to focus on giving this album a serious, and attentive listen,
despite the cover’s suggestive urging to the contrary.
Right from the outset, we’re presented with the carrier single, the aforementioned I Wish
That I Was Making Love To You. It started out pretty nicely. The instruments, the vocals, the
arrangements and the tunes blend together for a song that’s perfectly likable
and nearly just as unoffensive. Well, except for the lyrics which without a
doubt would make conservative schoolmarms jump off their seats.
Suppose if you were to
listen to that song on a booth, chances are you’d end up purchasing The
Island. Factor that with a very affordable price, and you’ve got yourself a
pretty decent find. Or at least, that’s what you’d believe it would’ve been,
because I now would like to give you a number of caveat emptors.
The real problem with this
album is that, after the first few tracks, everything else declines in quality
too fast. The songs showed freshness and novelty, until it reaches the 5th
track. Corcovado, one of [the overexposed] Jobim standards, once again gets
covered. The problem is that it doesn’t set itself apart from all the myriads
of other Corcovados, and this problem would prevail for the rest of the album
(That Waters of March sounded like a replica of Tom and Elis’s). If I wanted to
hear a version of that song that’s not quite different to the rest, why should
I go out of my way to hear Agot sing it when I already have Astrud Gilberto’s?
Agot Isidro’s voice is
wonderful. Really. A number of people I’ve asked opinions from said that Agot
is considered one of the more understated pop princesses, and it’s easy to see
[hear?] why. She can do a lot of transitions and vibratos, and her voice is a
combination of girlie-sweetness and mature-sensuality. However, a good voice isn’t
mutually exclusive to creativity. This is one attribute where Agot suffers the
most: she doesn’t have much to set herself apart from all the other, better-known contemporaries, whether it’s Pop or Bossa Nova.
Another problem is the
arrangements. The pioneers of Bossa Novas have mostly kept the music spare. In The Island, however, there are far too many things going on that it’s
hard to focus on Agot herself. The guiltiest offender is her 7th
track So Many Stars, where she is backed up by an a capella. The purist in
me is already nitpicking on how un-Bossa-Nova-like it is, but the bigger issue, one salient even to the casual listeners, is that the backup vocals
work in disparity with Agot herself. In her other tracks, the instruments served more of gimmickry than necessity [probably by this modus operandi: "just create a constant percussion. It sounds Bossa Nova that way"] , and there would be
instances where the "backup" instrumentations smothered her voice. There’s a huge difference
between trying to make a song sound Bossa Nova, and making a great song,
regardless of the genre. And while we’re on that, nobody’s forcing Agot to abandon her pop roots where she performs a lot better.
Honestly, I had a really
hard time getting through all the tracks of this album - which is why it took
so long for me to write this review. This will sound like I’m bragging, but
atypical to people of the MTV generation, I do have quite a long attention
span. I can watch a 3-hour, all-dialogue movie. I can sit through a whole day of
lectures. I can listen to classical musics all day. Yet, The Island lulled me
to sleep without fail. The fact is that when I’m enjoying music, I would pay
attention to its nuances and its meaning. The Island lacked so much of those. It may have a lot of instrumentations,
the lyrics may be sexy, but on a musical standpoint, it just comes off as a
me-too effort without much in the way of originality and substance. Instead, it’s a repetitive exercise of the standard Bossa Nova template, and by the time
I was done, I was lightheaded and weary of everything Bossa Nova that I
couldn’t appreciate any song of that genre for days.
Too bad. What could’ve been
a potentially good album ended up serving just a purpose of being placed on the
background. I know there will be more Bossa Nova albums to come, but I hope the
artists would be more creative. Original contents wouldn’t hurt either. After
all, overfamiliarity breeds contempt, and unless overfamiliarity is eschewed,
Bossa Nova would suffer the same fate that had caused it to become obscure. Score: 2.5 out of 5
October 7th, 2006 at 12:11 pm
dang. you should do this professionally.
October 7th, 2006 at 10:21 pm
Wow! Sam, that’s you?! OMG! I didn’t know you read my blog!
Thanks for the comment! You just made my day!
October 11th, 2006 at 12:05 am
not to rain much on your parade…but might we have missed out on the point of having a pop artist, with a pop arrangement delivered in a latin arrangement be considered as plainly as it is? A pop bossa…a crossover perhaps? definitely not a purists find, but enjoyable just the same. for the masses, this is spreading the bossa love! Bossa bless us all!
October 11th, 2006 at 6:10 am
You again? LOL!
[the previous statement is seriously just a joke. you're welcome to post here any time]
I don’t know. It wasn’t the fact that it’s not considered PURE, as I wasn’t listening to the album at all with a purist point of view. Actually, I think the album is much truer in the Bossa Nova sense than most others (excluding “So Many Stars”, which I complained about). The real issue with the album is imbalance of quality of the music, mostly because it’s hampered by too much unnecessary instrumentations and arrangements. And also, many of the songs (which are all covers) just doesn’t stand out.
That, plus the fact the songs, in all honesty, gave me headaches.
I honestly think that if Agot wants to go Bossa Nova, she should deliver some original materials instead of remaking songs that are, mostly, remade only a few hundred times already. When an artist remakes a song, s/he falls into the trap of being compared to the original and the other versions. And that’s where Agot falls short: most of the time she doesn’t surpass the original. Which makes me think: given that she’s well-established in pop, why should she go Bossa Nova when pop is obviously where she bests at?
You know who Oscar Peterson is, right? As a jazz artist, his skills are amazing. Yet, I don’t think he’s THAT terrific when he tries to cover Jobim’s standards.
Hey, 2.5 isn’t a low score! It’s a score that means “Average”! Or “Check it out”!
You should’ve read the comments posted somewhere in the internet by a *ahem* certain fan club. At least my views appeal more to objective reason than a personal one, though of course the latter does contribute a little.
I’m not against spreading the Bossa love (though, I swear I’d rather let the world “Bop till they ain’t swingin”!), but rather, I prefer it if the Bossa reviving artist spreads it in a meaningful way by, you know, making their own Bossa music as opposed to copying.
October 11th, 2006 at 9:06 pm
hmmm…i can see that you are pointing out technicalities in that production (the more of it, than the lack - a producers prerogative during recording). Maybe, a contradiction of the subdued elements of a usual bossa nova arrangement, much like samba’s treatment of a joyous, party-like concoction. But wasn’t it also Oscar Peterson who said that once you master all the fundamentals of music…when you play (create) music, forget all that you’ve learned…and just play! (not exact words). Or was it George Shearing or Thelonious Monk? (basta yung tulo laway with matching shrieks & groans when he’s at the climax of his adlib). I’m curious to know what your thoughts are on the latest venture of Paul Anka covering songs from Bon Jovi to Spandau Ballet into that big band sound? Do u think it’s a novelty act? I thought it was entertaining. Nowadays, there’s that clamor for old folks playing young tunes and vice versa. It’s growth & it’s good for the industry. Could you imagine if we were stuck in one genre? Absolute Abomination! Har! Har! Anywayz…I’ll let this one slip by (not exactly agreeing at all). To me Agot sounded exactly like…well Agot. But I still consider your reviews “with weight” and “adept”. Zippididoodaa to all!
October 11th, 2006 at 10:01 pm
I haven’t tried out Paul Anka. I have no qualms about covering a song per se. What bothers me is either covering without any creativity, or covering in a rather misguided direction.
It’s a novelty act, definitely, but novelty doesn’t automatically make it bad. In fact, I can accept that it’s probably a means of trying to reach a younger generation. Sometimes, though, there is just too much compromise between “reachability” and “depth”. They don’t necessarily have to be polar opposites, yet a lot of times it’s what happens, at least when it comes to Jazz.
Heck, if you want an example of oldies going modern, without compromising too much of his roots, check out Bob Dylan’s “Modern Times”.
In the end, it’s still about standing out and making great music. And that’s where I think Agot falls short. She didn’t stand out, and not all of her tracks are great (plenty of them aren’t), though I admit to liking the first few from her album.
P.S. Regarding your quote [paraphrase?] by Oscar Peterson, I think it’s Miles Davis who actually said it. But I may be mistaken.
October 11th, 2006 at 10:44 pm
okee…kewlness! A remarkable pianists quoted that line, i read from one those biography books on their lives.
December 6th, 2006 at 7:50 pm
How Agot got her grove back
By Carlomar Arcangel Daoana,
Staff Writer
November 27, 2006
One of the most notable comebacks this year is probably that of Agot Isidro, the lovely chanteuse who has given us memorable and karaoke-worthy hits “Everyday” and “Sa Isip Ko”. Not only people have been anticipating it to happen, seeing pieces of her in the indie film Tulad ng Dati and the blockbuster musical Zsazsa Zaturnnah, but because Agot offers a rare combination of interesting traits: soothing voice, exquisite face and bubbly personality.
At the wake of the success of her bossa nova album The Island launched midway this year, Agot reclaims a territory that is rightfully hers in the upcoming concert, Back to Basics, to be held at the Music Mesuem on Dec. 14 and 15.
Agot is knee-deep in preparing for this one, having done a couple of lounge acts at the Captain’s Bar. “It’s been 10 years since my last Music Mesuem concert,” she reveals. “The concert is part of the promo of the album and when they told me about it, I said, “Why not? I’m raring to do it.”
She clarifies that Back to Basics is not just all bossa nova shindig: “I have done a lot of styles but people don’t know that I can do standards, some of the old OPM songs, and some out-of-the-blue selections that will make people say, “Oops kakantahin niya ‘yun?”
Agot’s wide exposure to music, including the genre-of-the-moment bossa nova, draws deep roots. She comes from a musically inclined family two of her sisters are professional singers. “We grew up appreciating music and singing together,” she narrates. “We have a Ray Conniff Christmas album that we would play every Christmas back when we were kids until we were teens. Para talaga kaming Von Trapp family singers.’
Her love for bossa nova, specifically, was nurtured by Sergio Mendez (“even her obscure songs”) and Astrud Gilberto “even before this whole bossa nova experience.” That’s why when she was offered to do a bossa nova album by Holiday Records, she immediately said yes. “I know the music well” was her justification. “It’s a good genre and something that I really enjoy.”
Asked how she has matured as a singer, Agot answer says that she has become “more mellow.” In the two-year sabbatical leave she took, Mrs. Manu Sandejas took formal lessons in singing with a voice coach and all. And the result? “Probably now I’m more confident. At hindi ako napapaos. With the techniques, I have gained confidence. And I can play more with the songs that I’m singing.”
It’s also within those two years that Agot rethought about her life and reorganized her priorties. She quit smoking (“It’s been the best decision I’ve done in my life”), dabbled in yoga, took up an MA in Communications at the Ateneo de Manila University (“it kept my mind alert and running”) and tried to get pregnant (“That’s work”).
This string of activities, coupled with a healthy lifestyle, is what probably makes Agot look as though she hasn’t gained year back from her “Sang Linggo Napo Sila” days. She claims she hasn’t done anything invasive to her face, adding that, “I’m not saying that I’m not gonna do it but it’s not in the priority list in the near future.”