Music reviews: Jumil Makaluma, Cigarettegirls, Ariana Grande

Jumil Makaluma
"Kilala Mo Ba?"

The sound is old school and the lyrics refer to issues faced by a struggling artist. On his debut album, relative unknown Jumil Makaluma, obviously a pseudonym, positions his music and verses for mainstream acceptance, delving into love, personal hopes and dreams pushed by likeable melodies and harmony from guest singers.

He may be new to most listeners but he already has a thank you note to early supporters in “Para Sa Inyo” and advice to those who dream big (“Pangarap”). He’s got a crowd-pleaser in the shout-out “Halina’t Sumabay” and he can be tender in the acoustic “Mahal” though you have to grin and bear with some off-key singing. “Summer” is where the fun and joy of a needed break seeps into the proceedings.

Jumil Makaluma’s new adventure gives OPM and DIY a good name. It has its lapses though they’re not significant enough to put anyone off a good first effort.

Cigarettegirls
"Deadringer"

There’s a half-confused woman wanting to vent her inner turmoil in OPM indie outfit Cigarettegirls’ new EP. She sings of not being a commodity and that she’s fine on her own. She’s all flesh and claims, “There’s nothing missing, no crazy childhood, no daddy issues I came here whole, What about you?”

Her bluster is propped up by a backing band that can mix and match electro, industrial rock and psychedelia in ways seldom heard in the local scene. “No” is a disco number with a sweetly-coated bridge but underneath the music is a hodgepodge of squiggly electronica. “Co(u)ld” in title and execution edges towards cut-up industrial insistence and arty singing. The title track is a straight ballad built to the “accompaniment of pumped-up drum beats.

It’s a cool combination of experimentation and grit and by the time the album concludes, Cigarettesgirls will have pulled into their oddly neurotic world with its own unique attractions.

Eric Clapton
"I Still Do"

“Clapton Is God” was one of the most popular graffiti to grace the late ‘60s blues rock explosion. If it’s any measure of one’s position in the pantheon of rock, today’s Eric Clapton seems to be a shadow of his younger self. After imbibing the laidback country blues shuffle of the late J J Cale in the mid-'70s, Clapton downscaled his god-like stature to that of a weather-beaten journeyman.

For his latest studio recording, Eric Clapton reunites again after four decades with Glyn Johns, who masterminded the slack rock classic Slowhand sessions. Given the back story, the new disc “I Still Do” is both generally laidback in places and surprisingly blues rockin’ in spots.

The guitarist has always hinted at retirement due to personal health issues and the new release can be viewed as a swan song. Far from it as far as this corner is concerned. Except for an excellent warble through a lounge standard, Eric works out each track to delight both his old fans and millennials alike.

Classic rock heads and young guns will come together to the blaze of old glory in “Stones In My Passway” and “Alabama Woman Blues.” The elders will groove to the return of Slowhand in “Somebody’s Knockin’” and “Can’t Let You Do It.” Self-appointed critics will find a few things to chew on in the Santana-ish “Alabama Woman Blues” as well as the heartbreaking sentimentality of Clapton’s remake of “I’ll Be Seeing You.”

Let’s just say the former “rock god” is just acting his age. Should he retire now, this album is a happy ending to one of the most colorful careers in rock.

Ariana Grande
"Dangerous Woman"

Bursting with vigorous energy and sweeping musical vision, pop star Ariana Grade’s third album works its charm in expressing the mixed emotions of young woman to the tune of R&B, EDM, sophisticated pop and even doo-wop throwbacks.

The strongest stuffs are “Leave Me Lonely” featuring Macy Grey which sounds like a chance meeting of Shirley Bassey and Dusty Springfield at their prime; and “Greedy,” a hearty pop-rocker laced with hot horns that sees Ariana owning the moment as she indulges her inner gospel diva. She proves her R&B soul remains intact in “Into You” that grinds sexily to a ‘90s slow funk while she croons wanting “a little touch my body ‘cause I’m so into you.” In a flip of character, Ariana tells him a princess can be a bad bitch over the hook-filled sprightly pop of “Bad Decisions.”

In “Dangerous Woman,” Ariana Grande flaunts her powerful voice in a variety of genres and she never fails to amaze. This could be her “Off The Wall” and her “Thriller” may be right around the next bend.