Not So Bro Country, But Feel Good Country: Maddie and Tae's "Girl in a Country Song"

Thanks to Sprint I got a six-month free premium subscription with Spotify (Check out my Spotify profile here and follow me).

One of the playlist I created was my “Country Feel Good” list made up of country pop hits I personally feel good about listening to - mostly songs about committed love, family and patriotism. One song I recently added was Maddie and Tae’s “Girl in the Country Song.”

The song was a breath of fresh air because it calls the "bro country" and machismo-driven "frat boys" of country music to man up and respect women in their songs.

Country music is known for its recurring themes of pickups and breakups. But the last few years, we’ve seen an almost endless stream of what my colleague from BreakPoint calls, “bro country.”

In an article in The Atlantic, Gina Dalfonzo describes how country music has become a frat boy’s fantasy set to acoustic guitar.

“You could play Country Radio Bingo,” she says, “with all the references to...beers, driving in trucks on dirt roads, and dancing on tailgates in the moonlight…women are referred to simply as random...collections of scantily clothed body parts...” And they’re typically just called “girls.”

The new young country duo Maddie and Tae are challenging bro country’s monopoly and denigrating theme.

“Bein’ the girl in a country song,” they sing, “How in the world did it go so wrong?/Like all we’re good for is looking good for/You and your friends on the weekend, nothing more.”

Kudos to Maddie and Tae! Hear and check out the video and judge for yourself. 

(Adapted from The Point)

Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God

An artist said, "We can participate in the arts to the glory of God by enthusiastically enjoying the arts, recognizing God as the ultimate source of the creativity and beauty that we enjoy." The arts can help us sort out and discipline our emotions, so that, from our hearts, we might serve God and our neighbors as we are called to do in Christ.

I would like to introduce you to the beautiful hymn that moved me to tears, "Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God" written by modern liturgists Keith Getty and Stuart Townend and sung by Kristyn Getty (video above). The violin solo at the beginning is “Gabriel’s Oboe” by Ennio Morricone, from the movie soundtrack “The Mission” and the melody itself is heavily influenced by J.S. Bach. Also included is a reading of The Lorica (Breastplate), a prayer of protection traditionally attributed to Saint Patrick of Ireland.

"Oh Sweet Lorraine" - A Touching Story About the Beauty of Life-Long Married Love

Fred Stobaugh recently lost his wife, Lorraine after 75 years of marriage. After he saw an ad for a small music studio’s songwriting contest, Fred (who is not a musician or songwriter) submitted a musical tribute to his wife, entitled “Oh Sweet Lorraine.”

Instead of rejecting Fred's entry because it doesn't comply to the contest's guidelines, they decided to professionally record it for him.

Our Character Can Be Measured By What We Laugh At

I don’t stay up on the world of rap music, but it was hard to ignore the recent media storm caused by an “artist” who goes by the moniker “Lil Wayne.” His recently leaked song was so over the top that even the hip-hop industry—known for its casual use of sex and violence—reacted. The song, referencing a sex act and a part of the female anatomy, contained the line, “beat that [blank] up like Emmett Till.” His recording label apologized. Apparently, although violence against women is commonplace in rap lyrics, it’s still taboo to mock the Civil Rights movement.

Many musicians, such as Stevie Wonder, took the rapper to task, as did Till’s family. Said Till’s cousin, “He wouldn’t even be out there rapping these stupid lyrics without the sacrifice Emmett made.” If you’re unaware of what she’s referring to, Till was a 14-year-old African American boy who, in 1955, was savagely beaten, tortured, and killed by two white men in Mississippi for allegedly whistling at a white woman. My wife’s grandfather was one of the prosecutors in the trial, despite the great risk to his life and livelihood as a white man prosecuting a black lynching in deep Mississippi. The jury, in a kangaroo court, acquitted those men, who later confessed. But it was the courage of Till’s mother to hold an open casket funeral that finally exposed the deep evil of racism in the south. The horrific images of Till’s body were published in Jet magazine and provided a major spark for the Civil Rights movement.

Praise and Worship Songs, Then and Now

Whoever created this picture, brings up an interesting point about contemporary Christian praise and worship songs.

I bookmarked an article from Touchstone Magazine back in 2009 which I think gives an excellent perspective. Comparing ancient classical hymns to present, Donald Williams wrote, "a great deal of today’s music is very poor. Well, that shouldn't be too surprising; some of the music of the past was, too. The difference is that, with the past, the weeding-out process... has already taken place. Therefore, we cannot find, encourage, and preserve the best contemporary music without knowing those marks of excellence that made the best of the past stand out and survive so long. What are those marks? (1) biblical truth; (2) theological profundity; (3) poetic richness; (4) musical beauty; and (5) the fitting of music to text in ways that enhance, rather than obscure or distort, its meaning."

The Only Thing Lady Gaga Offended in Manila

Do you agree with the protesters that the Lady Gaga concert should have been banned in Manila to protect the moral values of the Filipino youth?... Should Lady Gaga be given artistic freedom, or must she be censored based on religious and moral beliefs of the predominantly Christian people of the Philippines? (Read more, Lady Gaga in Manila: Artistic Freedom or Censorship Based on Religious Beliefs?, by Gel Santos-Relos)

If many Filipino's think Lady Gaga is sincere in advocating respect and equality for all, then many are out of touch with her reality. If Gaga is serious about love and acceptance, then she should stop offending Catholics in her songs and videos or at least explain why defaming people of faith is acceptable while an attack on LBGT community is not. Or better, she should make songs and videos of other religious figures like Mohammed - I bet she doesn’t have the courage to do it.

Pop Music: Is It Only Entertainment?

This article from RapRehab.com is by far one of the best commentaries I’ve read on pop music and its influence on our daughters. The author and I share the same sentiments with good Ol' pop music (i.e Anita Baker, Whitney Houston, Gladys Knight, etc.) and my angst with the current crop of pop starlets (i.e Rihanna, Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, etc.). We rant about pop music’s use of over-sexualized lyrics, self-hating labels on women, raunchy publicity stunts and the blatant hypocrisy of the music industry for turning a blind eye to its own and the callousness of the listening public to give these artists a pass and regard them as role models - all because "its only entertainment,"... yeah right!

Filipino Blogger Dad (Me) Slams Chris Brown & the Grammys

Is it bad to wish that these girls get their wishes granted to knock some senses into their looney heads? Check out the 25 Extremely Upsetting Reactions to Chris Brown at the Grammys. I wonder how their dads would react if they read what their daughters have been tweeting about the self-admitted female beater.

WHAT?... Anne Curtis Still OPM Chart Topper?

Filipino Dad blog: What... non-singer Anne Curtis still OPM (Original Pilipino Music) chart topper? Doesn't she sing like Christine Jacob during her Eat Bulaga days? She herself admitted that "my music is not soulful, it's painful." I don’t know which one I’m surprised more; that she has a music album or that more than 100,000 Filipinos bought her CD, earning her a Gold Platinum record award and her record label lots of profit! I know it’s all in the name of fun, entertainment and following a dream but does it reflect that popular art in the Philippines is not set to a higher standard? Does it trivialize the Filipino excellence in music? Come to think of it, if Kris Aquino and Ruffa Gutierrez can win top dramatic acting awards, why should I be surprised with Anne Curtis too? Maybe I’m just a prude and over reacting... please pardon me.

Not Gaga Over "Born This Way"

According to Vogue magazine, Lady Gaga’s song “Born This Way” is more than “an unbelievably great dance song”; it is “destined to be the anthem of every gay-pride event for the next 100 years.” It only took the well-known pop star 10 minutes to write the song and its explanation of same-sex attraction. At least that’s what Lady Gaga told Vogue.

Charice, 18, Gets Botox for "Glee" debut

According to this article from FoxNews.com, "Filipino teenage singer Charice Pempengco says she prepared for her debut on the hit TV show Glee by getting Botox and an anti-aging procedure to look fresh on camera."

If reports are true, this talented young girl got some bad advice from someone. I personally think she's too young for the procedure and it sends the wrong message to other young girls.

"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1 Sam 16:7)

Our Blessed "Virgin" Lady Gaga

I've featured entertainment personalities in this blog before that are or were celibate (click here and here). But there's a new artist that's worth mentioning, Lady Gaga. Yes, you heard it right, Lady Gaga who's music videos were recently banned for offensive and high sexual content is now claiming to be celibate.

I Juana Change!!!

It's not the kind of song or music I listen to, but I like the concept and message of the video. Juana Change speaks for a lot of Filipinos at home and abroad. As the song chorus goes, "I Juana Change..." starts with "I" - let true change begins in ourselves first.

Elvis, Michael and Jesus

The kingmakers of the world of entertainment had brought us two larger than life icons: Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Michael Jackson, the King of Pop. Surely, they will be remembered for a very long time.

The problem is that the world never delivers. At the end of the day, it always fails to make sense of a life it had birthed and orchestrated. Elvis and Michael shared the same "fame and fortune" fate. Lisa Marie who knew them both testifies to that. Some of us who became fans of either or both, are left with this hollow feeling inside of us that demands a reason for our being.

It is recorded in John 6:14-15 that after the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.

There is indeed a void inside the human soul that only God can fill. Jesus rejected the promise of power, fame and fortune when He was tempted in the wilderness. We would do well to follow in the footsteps of one who is truly King.

Pinoy See, Pinoy Do... Monkey See, Monkey Do?

The whole “monkey see, monkey do” issue fueled by Freddie Aquilar’s publicly expressed opinion that Filipinos are the world’s best imitators or mimics smacks right into the Filipino psyche.

The heart of this controversy points not to Charice or Arnel Pineda singing Celine Dion’s or Journey’s songs. It is about the Filipino mindset that foreign is better than indigenous.

Here’s my take on this whole “brown monkey thing.”

If you watched the afternoon musical show following the Donaire-Concepcion boxing match, you would have witnessed Pinoy see, Pinoy do performances at their worst. The entire show was an imitation of an American theme park musical extravaganza. Am I saying that monkey-ing is a sin? Of course not. But is the constant showcasing of modern American or western secular values through musical mimicry harmful to the mind of the Filipino youth? I say, it robs them of the opportunity to be exposed to the richness of Filipino music and its cultural value - since such Broadwayish numbers dominate Filipino television variety shows.

Exposing a people repetitively to a culture foreign to them as being the standard of what is good and right is a form of values brainwashing. Filipinos, since becoming known as the inhabitants of a group of islands later to be named Philippine Islands, had been conditioned to believe by their colonial masters as inferior to them, being Indios or Little Brown Brothers. Such musical shows that mimic American productions reinforce our people’s colonial mentality.

The message I get from Ka Freddie’s remarks made sour by media reporting is this: Let us stop monkey-ing around and become lovers of the Philippines. Loving the Philippines means loving her heritage, her culture (which includes her music and her languages), and her people just as they truly are and not some copy of another race.

(Written by Conrad Tolosa for The Living Rice)

Who Cares About the 2009 National Artist of the Philippines?

Does this present generation of Filipinos, or even those who are the next in line, really care about who gets proclaimed as National Artists? I doubt it.

If I have to choose one from amongst our national artists, my choice would be Levi Celerio, our greatest composer/lyricist with over 4,000 love, folk and Christmas songs to his credit. I doubt, though, if our people even know who he is and how gifted he was. But for the young-at-heart Pinoy art lovers in our land, many of his songs, like Sapagkat Kami Ay Tao Lamang, Ang Pasko Ay Sumapit, Waray-Waray, Basta’t Mahal Kita and Pitong Gatang, still ring in our ears.

I would not have learned to like Journey’s songs if not for Arnel Pineda. My admiration for the Filipino talent may not have been reawakened if not for Charice. Like Freddie Aguilar, I consider Arnel and Charice as artists in their own rights. And I would be lying if I say that I do not goose bump feel a sense of national pride as I watch different international audiences give them a standing ovation.

The reason why I think that eventually, it will be the artist Levi Celerio who will be most remembered by future generations of Filipinos, is because of this suspicious beating or perhaps longing in my heart that Filipino patriotism is making a comeback.

If I were Mariah Carey, I, too, will be threatened by “brown monkey” Regine Velasquez. But should we care what other people think of us Filipinos? Perhaps. But what matters is what we think of ourselves. Are we now comfortable within our own skin, or are we still trying to prove ourselves to the world?

The bottom line is this: There will be another Levi Celerio if the goal of our artistic pursuit once again becomes individual excellence and not personal glory or riches.

(Posted by Conrad Tolosa)

Is Original Pilipino Music (OPM) a Lost Art?

The controversy over the 2009 National Artists awardees which blames President Arroyo’s corruption and dirty politics for spoiling the selection process made me think of popular Filipino music and arts.

No doubt, the Philippines is blessed with talented artists. Music alone produces fine Filipino singers and choral groups that are recognized as one of the best around the world. But is original Filipino music becoming a lost art?

I love Filipino music and I miss listening to it. My friend Kristan and I always gets a good laugh every time we talk about the pinoy songs we used to listen on the radio during the 80s and 90s. Unfortunately, I can't find anything in this current or even in my generation of singers new songs worth listening to because all they play are covers and revivals. Pakiramdam ko hihinto lang ang pagrerevival at pagiging popular ng foreign songs kapag hindi na baluktot mag-Tagalog is Martin Nievera (my shameless attempt to be funny).

Same thing with TV, I don't watch soap operas but I read about them online and noticed remakes of old movies and foreign series fills up the afternoon and primetime TV schedule.

The idea on the article I read recently and blogged on The Point can be related to the decline of OPM and TV. It says the decline of the quality of contemporary music, literature and other forms of art is a reflection of the change in the very thought process and concentration levels of a culture.

Pinoy's inclination that Western culture is better, superior and beautiful is the culprit why local adaptations and remakes are always popular. Mahirap na yatang tangalin and mindset na ito. The current generation's use of media and technology is also blamed for shaping the way people think: superficial, less to ponder and emotion-driven. Bumababaw daw ang tao ngayon dahil sa internet at text. Whatever feels good and simple impressions is preferred over logical and well-reasoned thought, affecting the songs and shows Filipinos want to see and make.

It's hard to blame Freddie Aguilar's harsh criticism of Filipino artists and music. May basis naman kasi sya, mali lang ang kanyang delivery. To prove Ka Freddie's assertion will never be right, Filipinos need to change the way we think. To start, develop the right values and worldview. A worldview similar to the Creator that strives for excellence and craves to create beauty from the unattractive and the empty. Then develop critical thinking skills and art appreciation by reading more and exposing one-self to original works of arts and literature.

As for entertainment industry executives who decides what songs or shows to produce, I hope you give Filipinos more what we need and not always what we want to see or hear.

Speak Louder, Paris Jackson

(I originally posted this on The Point blog)

Definitely Paris Jackson's emotional speech was the highlight of Michael Jackson's memorial on Tuesday. As a Michael Jackson fan myself, I was touched by that brief moment and really felt the loss the Jackson kids were experiencing. However, maybe it's just me, but I felt a little uncomfortable with the entire Jackson family when Mrs. Jackson and Janet Jackson were coaching her to speak louder and holding the microphone up to her mouth. It was like the whole family was staging the moment for the entire world to see MJ's little 11-year-old daughter.

I'm sure the family only has good intentions for MJ's kids, but part of me felt a little sorry for the children because we all know the damage the public spotlight can do to celebrity kids. My hope for Paris, Prince and "Blanket" is that they won't turn out that way. That's why, during Michael Jackson's life, he worked so hard to preserve the privacy of his kids, which the entire Jackson family may have forgotten when they all got up onstage.

King of Pop, R.I.P

Thanks to The Point I saw this blog post by Andrew Sullivan that also reflect my thoughts on Michael Jackson. He said:

There are two things to say about him. He was a musical genius; and he was an abused child. By abuse, I do not mean sexual abuse; I mean he was used brutally and callously for money, and clearly imprisoned by a tyrannical father. He had no real childhood and spent much of his later life struggling to get one. He was spiritually and psychologically raped at a very early age - and never recovered. Watching him change his race, his age, and almost his gender, you saw a tortured soul seeking what the rest of us take for granted: a normal life.

But he had no compass to find one; no real friends to support and advise him; and money and fame imprisoned him in the delusions of narcissism and self-indulgence. Of course, he bears responsibility for his bizarre life. But the damage done to him by his own family and then by all those motivated more by money and power than by faith and love was irreparable in the end. He died a while ago. He remained for so long a walking human shell.

I loved his music. His young voice was almost a miracle, his poise in retrospect eery, his joy, tempered by pain, often unbearably uplifting. He made the greatest music video of all time; and he made some of the greatest records of all time. He was everything our culture worships; and yet he was obviously desperately unhappy, tortured, afraid and alone.

I grieve for him; but I also grieve for the culture that created and destroyed him. That culture is ours' and it is a lethal and brutal one: with fame and celebrity as its core values, with money as its sole motive, it chewed this child up and spat him out.

I hope he has the peace now he never had in his life. And I pray that such genius will not be so abused again.

Virgin Again

After my post on Filipino actress Rica Peralejo's choice to remain celibate before marriage, I saw this interesting post via The Point (where I'm also a regular contributor) that links to an article on another artist choosing to remain faithful and chaste before marriage. This time its international rock star Lenny Kravitz. Just when you thought that all rock stars are into drugs, sex and big egos, Lenny Kravitz's seems to be going against the flow. He said:

It took years to get it right. To actually do it, and really try to walk the walk and not just talk it. It’s not like it’s not important – I think sex and intimacy and all that is very important. It’s just that I’m going to do it with my wife." He laughs. "And not everybody else."

This summer, not long after he turns 45, it will be four years. The final trigger came after a night in the Carlyle Hotel in New York. (His apartment was under renovation.) "I was doing my normal thing and I was with somebody, and I remember waking up in the morning thinking, 'What am I doing?' It’s not that I was all over the place. It’s not, like, groupies or somebody you’d pick up on the street. I didn’t carry on like that. It was somebody that I know. But it was still, 'What am I doing? And why?' And that morning I was just talking to God, as I do, and I said, 'You got to help me to stop this. I just really want to stop this.' And that was the day that it changed.

Since Pinoys are natural music lovers and many follow foreign acts like Kravitz, I hope many single Filipinos specially public figure will follow his (and Peralejo's) example of taking an open and shameless stand for celibacy before marriage. There's no real fun in being promiscuous thus he chose something better and more satisfying, that is to be a virgin again- a mark of a wise man.

(image from The Telegraph UK)