When I saw Yes My Love and their members promoting their June 13 launch for their new EP, I was so excited. I was all “OMGYAY! Finally! Yes My Love with an album of fresh music!”
Then I found out the album was released a few weeks ago, so I hurried over to listen to it. But then I was surprised to see that it was actually an album of five OPM covers.
Of course I already watched and listened to “Laging Naroon Ka”, the Jaya cover released back in April. But when I first saw the news of the EP, I didn’t expect the rest to also be covers.
For a long time, OPM was fueled and maybe even carried by either rock bands churning out easy listening pop-rock or young (maybe even veteran) artists doing covers of classic Filipino ballads. Which is why I was excited when the P-pop wave emerged, ushering in some fresh, new sounds and actual original music energizing the local scene.
So I can’t help but be a bit disappointed that this is Yes My Love’s first album.
I know Yes My Love’s most popular performance and the one that probably got the most mainstream attention (relatively speaking) was their cover of Sheryn Regis’ “Gusto Ko Nang Bumitaw”. Right now, it’s gotten more YouTube views than their debut single “Rhythm”.
But Yes My Love has released three great original tracks since their debut last year. Most especially “Yayakapin” which is still one of my favorite P-pop tracks so far and really one of my absolute favorite Filipino songs in a while.
I’ve mentioned how Cornerstone really stepped out to the forefront of the P-pop scene by having been able to launch and debut four talented groups within about a year. VXON, G22, Yes My Love and AJAA have just delivered some great music and attention-grabbing performances since their respective debuts.
But I’ve also been a bit weary of Cornerstone’s plans for the four groups. VXON released their first album earlier this year, but didn’t release a music video for the title track “SSP” until three months later. It’s been eight months since AJAA’s debut with not much from them since. G22 has released two new songs in the last month (one of which, their version of a previously released track by another artist). But after their buzzy appearance on the Chinese program Show It All, you’d kind of expect something more than two solid, though
perhaps unmemorable slowjams. Though since the departure of one member, it seems like this is the route Cornerstone is taking with them.
I dunno. I hate that this has to be a negative post. Because Yes My Love delivers beautiful vocals in this album You, Me, & Love. Some of the best harmonies in P-pop, if not OPM as a whole. I just wish it were beautiful vocals on their own original songs.