LA-based Filipino singer-songwriter Ted Reyes returns with new album ‘Trip Sa Field’
Ted Reyes is that singer-songwriter who will never get tired of releasing new music, which should be the case if you have decided you are a recording artist for life—not just some flash in the pan who’d drop what’s supposed to be a lifelong passion because it is no longer convenient.
More often than not, too, he does it in style, like this latest from his vault.
Ted is dropping an album of Tagalog songs called Trip Sa Field. It is available in three versions: limited vinyl edition, CD version, and digital download edition on Bandcamp. That means we have three ways to get a copy of this album, so we practically don’t have an excuse not to access the tracks—especially if we want to sincerely support someone who deserves it.
Besides, it’s going to be worth it, especially from a music man who has the credentials and makes an effort to champion Filipino music even if he lives far away from the Philippines. I can say this on a personal level, as I myself have been influenced by Ted’s musicality and style. My old college band used to front act for him and his bandmates back at the now-legendary music bar Mayric’s. They had a recording contract.
Ted is a guy who has been writing music since he was 14. He is, by nature, a front man who can be a one-man band because he is that talented. His first group, The Freesouls, was signed by BMG Records Pilipinas at a time when the label was signing acts like Eraserheads and Rivermaya.
He is the songwriter of the catchy “Bye Bye Na,” a Himig Handog finalist recorded and popularized by Rico Blanco.
Currently, he is among the most prolific Asian American artists, having moved to the US long ago. He made New York his home for many years, and now he is living and thriving in Los Angeles.
Eight songs are included in all editions of Ted’s new album. He came out with “Made In Kamuning” prior to the pandemic and then released a couple more at the height of it.
For Trip Sa Field, one track titled “Magkaibigan Lang Kami Ng Sandali” features his soulmate Sheryl Reyes, on vocals. The timely “Delubyo” rock piece has Chet Del Mundo on electric guitar, while a song called “Nanay” showcases Gatchie Ignacio on acoustic guitar.
Standout numbers include “Tayo Na Sa Ulan,” which talks about “how life is much easier with special people that you bond with” and was previously recorded by a band he formed in America called Blued.
Ted said, “I wrote this song in 2008, and it became a finalist of a contest sponsored by FILSCAP. The version in this album is new and features a Moog solo.”
Another interesting piece is “Pautang Naman,” which features the drum work of Raymund Marasigan. He played bass guitar for the Sandwich leader back in 2017, and this is a rolling return favor.
And then there’s “Field Trip,” a song that evokes strong feeling thanks to a melody that brings back heartfelt memories and reminds you that a good tune is both a time in a bottle and timeless. It’s classic Ted songwriting, and I say that as someone who studied his developing years as a songwriter. His ventures into rock and other genres meant progress in his art, but a piece like “Field Trip” is his 60s-loving soul bearing truth.
Completing the eight-song list available in various formats are “Wasak” and “Sobrang Init Naman.”
This is an album that should define him as a solo artist—adventurous, uncompromising, pure.
Last December, he released a single called “Confidential Funds.”
Yes, Ted Reyes can be timely, and every once in a while, he hits a tune that, if given enough exposure, can quietly become timeless.
