Aside from their original smash tunes such as “Bakit Iniwan Na,” “Before I Let You Go,” and “So Slow,” Freestyle is known for putting their own spin on other people's hit songs.

Standing testament to this notion is “Freestyle Playlist,” the band’s latest CD that contains 14 pop covers done the Freestyle-way.

Right off the bat, the band shows its knack for clever arrangement. Their version of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” is sexier and more soulful than the original. Jinky Vidal, obviously the star of the show here, pushes the song into uncharted territories.

Of course, it’s not as if Mike Luis and Joshua Desiderio -- Freestyle’s two other vocalists -- are to be outdone. The two also shine in a couple of tracks.

Mike, in particular, gets to mimic idol Michael Jackson on the band’s version of “Got To Be There” -- doing a couple of “Jackson 5” era squeal that's totally demented (and we mean that in a positive way)!

On the other hand, Joshua, the archetypal R&B male vocalist, did a good job in “There’s No Easy Way,” “Don’t Let Me Be (Lonely Tonight)", and the Commodore’s classic “Easy.”

His voice is the perfect foil to Jinky's, most notably in the duet, “Suddenly,” in which the two gets to channel Cliff Richard and Olivia Newton John while giving it an updated sound.   

The rest of the band keeps the groove exciting. Guitarist Tat Suzara, bassist Rommel Dela Cruz, keyboardist Nikki Cabardo, and drummer Gerard Banzon, as well as second and third keyboardist -- Mike and Joshua, respectively -- get creative with songs such as “Sweet Baby,”  “Sara,” and “Easy.”  

At its purest, Freestyle is a great show band. These days, despite having forged a unique pop and R&B sound, people still wants to hear them play the occasional cover song to which the band obliges happily.

After all, what’s a club or bar gig without the proverbial ‘request on a piece of tissue’?

(“Playlist” is released under Viva Records and is supported by media partners The Manila Bulletin, Jam 88.3, Magic 89.9, Mellow 94.7, and Max 103.5)

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