John Ford Coley

Visiting a country twice or thrice can make the experience all-too familiar, thus leads to losing the excitement. Not with John Ford Coley who has been to the country close to 10 times and still finds Philippines a thrilling place to be at.

“I love coming over here. I have lots of good friends here and it’s already my second home,” said the ex-groupmate of the late England Dan in an exclusive talk at Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila where the singer-songwriter promoted his latest series of live shows for Filipinos.

Equally fun-loving and serious onstage, Coley isn’t anymore sure if it is his eighth or ninth time here. But the message is clear that Manila has become a favorite stop where those songs he and Dan popularized many years back are part of its musically inclined people’s consciousness. During the recent presscon he sang two of them: “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight” and “Just Tell Me You Love Me.”

Once again made possible by Steve O ‘Neal Productions, a three-date Philippine tour of the owner of the title “Crown Prince of Love Songs” gets underway on the night of Feb. 13 at Hyatt, followed by shows at Heritage Hotel in Pasay and Tacloban Coliseum in Leyte. A big-time talent in David Pomeranz serves as his co-star in what is billed as “Timeless Love.”

Filipina voices Faith Cuneta and Ciara Sotto are listed as special guests, with the “Telenovela theme” songstress scheduled to appear at the Hyatt performance and the daughter of comic legend Tito Sotto to share her vocal prowess at the Heritage treat.

“We’re going to play what the people want to hear,” assured the capped-wearing artist behind other classics like “Sad To Belong,” “We’ll Never Have To Say Goodbye” and “Love Is The Answer.”

By now he may have finished recording an acoustic album covering some hits the Dan-Coley duo are known for, along with his composition “Not For Me” which will feature Faith. According to him, the album will be called “Timeless Hits” and it’s “a little bit different.”

The pairing of Coley and Pomeranz is a tough act, expected to be a major attraction among audiences wanting certified radio hit love songs. The latter, for his part, has scored undying tunes including “King and Queen of Hearts,” “Got To Believe In Magic,” “Old Songs,” and “Born For You.”