Top recording acts Ebe Dancel and Sitti, along with their labelmates at rising Widescope Entertainment, are featured in the Christmas EP Pagmamahal Ngayong Pasko. The two hitmakers joined the ensemble in singing the title track.
The six-song compilation of Yuletide-themed songs from artists associated with the said label was dropped in digital stores on Nov. 19.
“I’m very proud of all the songs in this collection,” said Ebe who’s also Widescope’s A&R manager and record producer. “Our artists really worked hard on their tracks and recorded them well despite the limitations and challenges brought about by the pandemic. Each song has a different flavor reminding us about the real reason for the season.”
The title track, written by balladeer Jam Quijano, features Ebe singing the first chorus and Sitti delivering the song’s last line in the vein of Warren Wiebe in the now-classic ‘90s all-star recording “Voices That Care.” She wistfully delivered the heartfelt line, “Ngayong pasko magregalo ka ng pag-ibig.”
She related, “We need to support each other, encourage and let each other flourish if we are to keep our industry alive. We have to help each other’s music be heard.”
The EP opened with Sitti’s elegantly jazzy “Malapit Na Ang Pasko,” welcoming listeners to a stretch of feel-good, emotional takes on the spirit of love and the Yuletide season. Four tracks from youthfully dynamic artists followed, with the Letrang Norte duo showcasing their rich vocal harmonies and knack for intelligent arrangement in “Ngayong Pasko,” followed by the upbeat pop “Reason For The Season” by the trio of 46 Hope St.
The EP’s fourth track offers Jam’s other composition “Pag-ibig Noong Pasko.” It’s a standout track that puts on display his sincere voice, before the quartet of Catharsis comes into the picture with their version of the traditional tune “Deck The Halls.” It’s a Yuletide classic rendered in girl band sound that charmingly prepares listeners to the big closing track.
Other Widescope artists involved in “Pagmamahal Ngayong Pasko” are Tim Allen, Bongclinks, and Noel Mendez.
Widescope music and entertainment director Neil Gregorio noted, “This is an important release for us, sharing in a small way our vision of unity through collective works from our artists, and coming together as one despite differing musical preferences.”
Ebe and Sitti provide the muscle that seasoned acts necessarily provide in a carefully selected pack of young blood thrusted into the label run by industry experts.
With the record wrapping up the label’s significantly busy, momentous run for the entirety of 2021, Widescope Entertainment President Vic de Vera lightly abridged the meaning of it all: “I believe Christmas is love. The music we make inadvertently brings out one’s true feelings and affection. It would be the best time of the year where we realize most deeply that when more love is shared, joy overflows in every person’s heart.”
To steam and download: https://orcd.co/pagmamahal-ngayong-pasko