Nina’s show gives old songs a new twist

If you’re not busy this week, go see Gold: Precious OPM Hits, the ongoing concert series of Nina at the Music Museum.

The show, which runs until Dec. 7, features Nina performing a reportoire of OPM hits from the ’70s and ’80s – and if you love OPM, there’s no doubt you’ll enjoy the concert, which is definitely one of Nina’s best. Nina and musical director Soc Mina have teamed up to breathe new life into these contemporary pop classics, which include Give Me A Chance, Don’t Know What To Do, Don’t Know What To Say, Urong-Sulong, To Love Again, Smile In Your Heart, Forever Blue, Pain, Ayoko Na Sana, Growing Up, Friend of Mine and Miss Na Miss Kita.

Everything about the show is truly inspired, from the concept to the set design and the costumes by designers Ignacio Loyola and Tina Daniac (who also made the gowns Nina wore during her last concert, Very Manilow) which were "gold" according to the show’s theme. All the songs in the repertoire were number one, or "gold" hits during their time, hence the show’s title.

The show starts out with lines from Give Me A Chance, composed by Odette Quesada. Odette has the most number of compositions in the repertoire, with eight of her songs featured: To Love Again, Don’t Know What To Do, Don’t Know What To Say, Ayoko Na Sana (co-written with Bodjie Dasig), Farewell, Friend of Mine, Growing Up and ‘Till I Met You.

It is a tribute to the genius of the show’s musical director Soc Mina that he is able to make these old songs sound new without changing them too much to the point that they become unrecognizable. He knows that people go to watch a concert like Gold: Precious OPM Hits precisely because they want to hear their old favorites. Thus, he takes liberties with the original composers’ arrangements only up to a certain point, just enough to intrigue the audience and just enough to showcase Nina’s amazing R ’n B-tinged vocals.

If anyone thinks Nina is good for just R ’n B tunes, they ought to see the concert: it will show them just how versatile she is. One example is her rendition of Odette Quesada’s Growing Up from the movie Bagets, Nina turns it into a fine rock-flavored tune. Alvina Sy’s Pain, originally interpreted by Martin Nievera, takes on a jazzy bossa nova beat and more.

Almost everyone knows Nina as a recording phenomenon, thanks to the success of her multi-platinum disc Nina Live. After that record came out, people were begging for a sequel, but instead, Nina chose to release an album of mostly original music. If she is still thinking of coming up with a sequel to Nina Live, the songs in the concert should give her more than enough material. Nina does a wonderful job with the 20 OPM hits on the concert’s list of songs. In fact, we dare say that Nina should think of turning the concert into a live album. It would go a long way in keeping these beautiful songs alive for the next generation.

Kudos to Nina and the rest of her creative team for a concert series that will be remembered for a long, long time.