What a weekend! As our fellow Pinoys affected by the recent typhoon were picking themselves up and wiping off the muddy waters brought on by Carina, now some very joyful news for a change coming straight from the Olympics. 

Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo won the country its first gold in the men’s gymnastics floor exercise last Saturday. What an accomplishment! Carlos Yulo made us all proud, and we share in the pride of having the National Anthem play at the awarding ceremonies. Then, just as Filipinos were celebrating the win, Carlos Edriel Yulo struck his second gold in the men’s vault. This is truly uplifting news. 

The diminutive athlete (Yulo is reportedly only 4’9”) is now the first Pinoy athlete to win multiple gold medals in the Olympics. And to think that he topped a sport that wasn’t precisely Pinoys’ cup of tea, so to speak, was even more impressive. 

Carlos Yulo just raised the bar of sporting excellence for Filipinos. For winning in the XXXIII Olympics, C.Y. also won himself a new house, a condo, more than P13 million, a free colonoscopy (what?!?), and a lifetime supply of ramen, among others! Imagine never getting hungry again because of all that ramen! He’s going to need a poke around on the rear end at some point when he consumes all those noodles.

Seriously though, Carlos Yulo made the country proud! And his accomplishment deserves a mention even in a music column.
Sinosikat? returns with a groovy-sounding new song in “Sabado.”

The Kat Agarrado-led acid jazz outfit’s latest offering is dripping with the vibe, complete with syncopated stabs, an honest-to-goodness horn section, and doobeedoowah scats. Agarrado still sounds smooth and sexy for the music of Sinosikat? does.

“Sabado” and the band sound like they were plucked from the late 70s, as it gives off soul-inflected jazz vibes. This is the second single this year from Sinosikat? having released the similarly styled “Heart Calling” last February. 

Just in time, too, as Sinosikat? celebrate 20 years in the biz as a band, and the band is still slaying. Listeners should have more Sinosikat? in their diet, and in turn, Sinosikat? should drop more music, especially when it’s this tasty.

Speaking of putting out more singles, Magnus Haven returns with tuneful pop-rock flavored “Naliligaw.” David Galang (keyboardist and vocals) and Rey Maestro (bass) of Magnus Haven write. 

At the same time, the rest of the band, including Rajih Mendoza, drummer Sean Catalla, and Louise Vaflor, contribute to flesh out this tune about love and how crazy the world seems to get without it. The resulting track is a return to form for Magnus Haven.  

LA-based Filipino-American R&B and pop act, Michael Keith dances, sings, and writes his songs. And his latest single, “R U OK?” is an upbeat and driving R&B-inflected dance tune that we can easily vibe with. 

Michael Keith already has several singles in his name, which deserve a listen, too, including the catchy soul dance pop “Drowning” and similarly styled “Ayayay” that Michael Keith released early this year. 

We can liken Michael Keith’s style to Justin Timberlake, who has a full-bodied vocal that can easily switch to falsetto with soul to spare. Co-written by Keith and Jin Chan, the dance-inflected electro-pop track “R U OK?” is another step in the right direction for Michael Keith, who is slowly but surely building a name for himself in Pinoy pop.