In a lot of ways, former acoustic pop sensation Barbie Almalbis is stepping out of her comfort zone.The creation of Barbie's latest album has also been attended by new adventures in living life and making music. For the past five years, she devoted much of her waking hours being wife to painter husband Martin Honasan and mom to daughter Noa Stina (now three years old) and son Liam Israel (10 months old).
Barbie still performed in occasional evening engagements in between pregnancies. She still composed new songs at night when the house was still and the kids were tucked in bed.
A year ago while pregnant with son Liam, she composed a couple of tunes on her laptop, which eventually shaped up into a batch of new materials for an album. She learned the ropes of making good music on her own, reading, writing and producing on an informal studio at home.
Barbie tells of her DIY escapade to Yahoo! OMG! Philippines: "It was a different experience. It was the first time I've recorded most of my parts at home. I use a laptop to compose. Sometimes, I'd put my guitar and place a few mics around the room. There's a soundproofed room in the house where I sometimes do my vocals.
"I started out with lots of trial and error. First time I did it, my guitar parts sounded terrible. I got a bit frustrated so I researched and researched (her emphasis) to come up with the right sound I was looking for."
Barbie subsequently convened her current back-up band, composed of brother-in-law Karel Honasan on bass and Alden Abaca on drums, to flesh out her working drafts into full-blown songs. She consciously aimed for her songs to sound as good in her makeshift home environment as they would be when they finally work on the tracks in the studio.
As luck would have it, her favorite producer Maly Andres (Violent Playground) slipped into town just as Barbie and band mates were about to record her new album. He moved to New Zealand after producing Barbie's Cradle's second album.
Early this year, Maly dropped a message on Facebook about staying in Manila for a few weeks and if by any chance, Barbie would be interested in making an album with him. Maly and Barbie eventually laid down a few tracks while Maly was in Manila, but work on the album progressed via regular email exchange.
All this time, her manager and partner in the indie label 16 Stones, Tommy Tanchangco, hardly heard a pipsqueak on Barbie's newest effort. She basked in the freedom to do whatever she wanted but at the same time, Barbie felt obliged to deliver her best as part of the bargain.
Tommy got the chance to finally listen to her new songs during the mixing of the tracks. Afterwards, the daring duo decided to use the Internet to promote and market Barbie's brand new music.
Barbie reasons, "With my last album, we did it the traditional way. This time around, it's like everybody's online now, it's where people listen to music. I listen to music online.
"At the same time, I know that iTunes is not yet set up in the Philippines, and not a lot of people have PayPal accounts so Internet purchasing is not yet established here."
"But as an artist, I want to get my music out there. That's why I wanna share it. Giving my single for free (.WAV format) or in return for a donation (.MP3), makes it easier for people to hear the new sound, the new me for that matter."
In a number of ways, "Goodbye My Shadow" bids farewell to the Barbie of old, and to preconceived ideas of who Barbie Almalbis is and the music she makes. Musically, her latest album heads off in different directions from track to track, setting off minor explosions in your head in the attempt to leave an imprint beyond the three-minute mark.
Weirdly titled "Ostrich Cowboy" is sound-tracked by REM-like folk rock sharing the same page as one-hit wonder Frente! who remade the original unrest of New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle" into a quiet croon. In fact, Barbie's child-woman singing mirrors that of Frente! lead singer Angie Hart's vocals.
Elsewhere, an undercurrent of funk pushes "No Police" out of the acoustic jam, and an itty bit of erotic tingle brightens its refrain. "Lights" has a nice light jazz feel while "Unraveling" works out the love blues in strummed guitars.
Barbie said she writes from her personal experiences. "Goodbye My Shadow" is strewn with passionate personal notes for a husband, Jesus Christ, an imagined future for her growing kids, and in one track, on the subtleties of desire.
Despite the album title, say Hello! instead to the resurgence of Barbie Almalbis. She has taken the road less traveled by, and she deserves all the best wishes for taking chance. She may as well be pushing the boundaries of Pinoy pop music to its next surge.
