In 1998,
Basil Valdez released
Ala-ala (Memories) on Philippine independent label Viva Records. All ten songs on the album are slow, easy listening love songs, which doesn't make for a cohesive, well-rounded album.
In a unusual twist, all ten of the album's songs were composed by
Gerry Paraiso. He also arranged all ten songs. However, it probably wasn't a good idea for
Basil Valdez to record an entire album of
Gerry Paraiso songs, as the songs have a tendency to sound too much alike.
Basil Valdez has a fine, smooth voice and his performance throughout the album is excellent, but the material he's given to sing is just too bland. The songwriting on some songs is better than on others, but without any fast, upbeat songs, the songs blur into one another.
Some songs, however, have more substance than others, and "Hawak Mo" (You're Holding) is a pleasant, soulful outing and contains a catchy refrain in the title line "Hawak mo." The song also includes sultry horn punctuations and a stirring female backing chorus. "From Now On" is also better than average, though it sounds somewhat like "Huwak Mo." The album's best song is "The Power of Love," which features a smooth, soulful melody with a touch of rhythm & blues, similar to the style often performed by such black American crooners as
Jeffrey Osborne and
James Ingram.
Valdez puts forth his best performance of the album on this song, as though overjoyed to have something so substantial to sing. ~ David Gonzales