An engaging pop rock track called “Crossroads,” performed by American duo Danny Lynch Project, is actually written by Filipino songwriter Erasmo “Rusty” Mallillin.
The collaboration happened when band leader and singer-songwriter Danny Lynch from Pennsylvania and the London-based composer who has his own talent management group called ErasmoSTAR met online and thought about the idea of working on a song.
The track can be heard on YouTube via a performance video of the song’s master recording. Musically it has the classic, melodic, and studio-driven 80s feel to it, anchored on Danny’s full-bodied vocals and his buddy Kevin Joela’s high recall guitar riffs.
“When I heard the song, I immediately liked its vibe and message so all we had to do was bring in our personality into it and give it a go,” implied Lynch who has competent originals to boast himself, stressing the fact that the Filipino-written track authentically merited his attention.
The song offers inspiring lines, from the opening “Every day we make life decision/ To satisfy our feelings and emotions” to the chorus that declares, “I’m in my crossroads/ Which road should I go?/ Is it this way, or is it that way?”
Lynch is a gifted musician who simultaneously sings, plays guitar, and does drumming with just his feet -- the right for the kick drum, the left for the snare. He shared, “Doing it altogether feels like a good workout and it gives me a certain sense of rhythm and timing.”
The Danny Lynch Project’s unique approach enables them to achieve that full band sound whether through amiable originals like “Broken Heart” and “Never Give Up On Us” or well-done covers, say, their versions of The Doors’ “Love Me Two Times”, Wayne Cochran’s “Last Kiss," and Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” In a surprising move that belied their inclination to pure classics, they even covered A Great Big World’s 2013-release “Say Something.”
“It’s an honor for me to have my composition interpreted by a talented artist like Danny,” expressed Mallillin who has long been based in Europe.
Rusty is the brother of Jun Mallillin who wrote the OPM classics “Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal” and “Dahil Mahal Kita,” both popularized by the group Boyfriends. He founded the ErasmoSTAR talent management and entertainment production group which primarily promotes Filipino artists here and abroad through live shows and recordings. Lately it branched out to tapping even foreign-bred performers.
Lynch acknowledged his early struggles in life as what truly drove him to keep doing what he loves even in the midst of a pandemic. He related, “I came from the (housing) projects. I know how it is to struggle and I see music as therapy.”
Both performing as solo and as part of the aforementioned duo around Tri-State areas in the US, the hardworking singer revealed he enjoys doing four days a week gig routines. He founded a production company, D-Lynch Productions LLC, that offers recording, videography, and graphic design services.
“Crossroads” will soon be released on digital music platforms. While both Danny and Rusty chose not to look too far, this song may be the first of multiple collaborations that music aficionados, especially Filipinos, should check out with pride.
Here’s the link to the official music video of “Crossroads” by Danny Lynch Project: https://youtu.be/0iRJWCW8KcA