SIBLING REVELRY: A Review by Jude Bacalso

Crafting music, at least for the Wonggoys, is still best done the old fashioned way.

The brothers: Gabriel, Billyboy and Kyle, first draw inspiration from the now: Facebook crushes, laser beams and the desire to be king of the world, and some cryptic boytalk—all of which lend amazingly well to great guitar playing honed from years of aping their musical inspirations, until they come into their own in this debut album.

The tracks, produced by veteran Cebuano musician Cattski Espina and distributed by homegrown 22 Tango Records, sound like conversations the siblings have among themselves, to catchy rhythm. The title track embodies the spirit of the entire collection: I’m not sure what to say, but I’ll say it anyway. Not exactly a Jack Kerouac stream of consciousness, it does have undertones of this untethered release of emotions into precisely arranged words: bridge, refrain and all. And the subject matter, perfect for a debut release and in tune with the naught-laced innocence of the three, is never heavy-handed and always—almost nonchalantly—spot on current.

Bound for heavy player rotation, or repeat radio airplay, are the jazz and blues-infused, guitar-driven dilemma in Chase the Girl (or Rule the World), the ingeniously-written patriotic piece Kalayaan sung in Cebuano, Filipino and Hiligaynon, the Jason Mraz-inspired HD, and the track that best showcases their wicked sense of humor, Bonus Track…masquerading as the sweetest love song.

Completed in a little over 4 months, this neat little package comes in a tiny full circle, definitely the first of many. Photographed by the award-winning Dr. Erwin Lim, who also shot them for their first newspaper feature, it’s the perfect Holiday gift from Gabe, Billyboy and Kyle to a listening public hungry for a new sound that doesn’t labor to be heard.

Like the brothers who make the music, they just grown on you.

(Reposted with permission from 22 Tango Records)

Album under Wonggoys:
I’m Not Sure What to Say But I’ll Say It Anyway
Get the Album for US$ 10.00