Last weekend, I dropped by my favorite record store (Odyssey at Alabang Town Center) after the sumptuous birthday lunch of my sister at Cafe Mary Grace. I was in the mood to go OPM that day and browsed through the various local selections. Actually, I already had Miguel Escueta’s “Now It Starts” cd in mind so after picking one out, I happened to see Up Dharma Down’s Bipolar so I ended up buying two. And I was not disappointed to say the least.

But let me focus first on the latest output of the Party Pilipinas rocker, that is, Miguel Escueta. I see him every Sunday singing with the other male vocalistas in the same. But since he only gets to perform a song or two, I’m always left wanting for more. His style stands out among the almost identical R&B sounds of fellow artists like Kris Lawrence, Joshua Desiderio, Gian Magdangal and Jay-R. He is more edgy without losing the pop nuances that keep him well within the parameters of the show’s mainstream audience.

Miguel’s cd is made up of four original compositions and 9 covers. I twitted him that “Now It Starts” is my favorite among the selections, but added that his versions of “Rush Rush” (remember that ditty made popular by ex-American Idol judge Paula Abdul) and “Blue Monday” (that upbeat song of New Order which hit the charts in the early 80s) are just as ear-friendly. You should also check out his fresh take on songs line “Only Hope”, “Love Fool”, and “Mr. Brightside”. Of course, the carrier single – “We Belong Together” (yes, Mariah Carey made this a hit before) – is also worth a space in your iPod. You can listen to and watch the video below…

video courtesy of YouTUbe/miguelescueta

Here’s the press release of MYX Philippines on the cd:

“Organic, real and fresh” – the 3 words used by Miguel Escueta when asked to describe his new full length album “Now It Starts.” The new originals on this album are, according to Escueta, the most “honest and sincere” he has written to date. “Lyrically, I just feel I said it the way it had to be said. No more metaphors or underlying meanings. Just pure honesty.” The album has cover songs as well – his carrier single “We Belong Together” (Mariah Carey), “Rush Rush” (Paula Abdul) and “Love Fool” (The Cardigans), among others. “I’m very proud of how we attacked these covers in arrangement and production. Its always scary to record famous cover songs, but I’m very happy with how we did on this record because I feel that we’ve turned them into our own and are now definitely fun to perform LIVE,” M.E. shares.

This album is actually Escueta’s 2nd full length offering, the last one coming in 2007 with his debut release “I AM M.E.” In 2008, a special deluxe version of the debut album came out and last year the E.P. “Sleeping While The World’s Awake” was released which served as a prelude to the new full-length album that hit stores just last week. The E.P. tracks are, of course, included in this latest release. He is set to launch the album on national TV with his band on Party Pilipinas (GMA7) in the coming weeks. With his carrier single “We Belong Together,” Miguel is all geared up and ready to set the stage and energize audiences.

Being a main stay on the show over the past year, Miguel was able to put together a special video of “Now It Starts” that features almost the whole Party Pilipinas Cast singing a line or two from the song while portraying the feel good vibe of the track and the fun-loving atmosphere of the show! “I’m so grateful that they all agreed to be part of it and help out. The nice thing about this show is that we all support each other. Even the big stars treat us new comers like family. I’m so proud to be part of a winning show that has this familial / supportive type of culture.”

The special video of “Now It Starts” is only available for viewing on the Internet. So If you haven’t seen it yet, just log on to http://www.miguelescueta.com. The Offical Music Video for his carrier single “We Belong Together” is also available on youtube.com/mcamusic. The new album “Now It Starts” is now for sale in all major record bars nationwide courtesy of MCA Music Inc. and brought to you by VANS, Human, Roadtone Guitars, Southern Musician, Decawake Davao and Heartfire Studios.

If you want to know more about Miguel Escueta, you can visit http://www.miguelescueta.com/. There, you can learn more about his music, his band, his gigs, more photos, downloads, and personal thoughts. You can even send him a message or two. I know that he (or Team ME) tries to personally answer all queries, kudos and the like so give it a go! He is quite an appreciative person.

In the meantime, why don’t you head over to a record store nearest you and buy his cd? Trust me, you won’t regret it. Alternatively, you can download his songs from iTunes via this LINK.

For Smart subscribers, he has several ringback downloads available HERE.

P.S. Don’t buy pirated CDs – ever – and always support our local artists!!! 😉