The singer not so much the song

All he wanted to do was visit ailing dad Rolly Concepcion and make a comeback movie. But what Gabby Concepcion got instead was more than he asked for and dreamt of.

All of us know he got an ABS-CBN teleserye, Iisa Pa Lamang. And surprise, surprise! The ‘80s Regal Baby got an offer to record an album — his first — from Warner Music Philippines. Gabby himself was caught flat-footed when recording company executives first broached the idea to him.

“I never imagined I would enter the recording industry someday,” admits Gabby. “The first time I sang (in public) was when I was 16 or 17, via Come What May. But I was not serious about it.”

But now that he finally has a self-titled CD, Gabby promises to give singing a hundred percent, the way he gives his all in everything he does: Whether it be on TV, the movies, endorsements, etc.

Trying everything, “as long as I don’t step on anybody’s toes” has become a way of life for Gabby these days. It’s a sign that he has matured, grown more self-assured.

Back in the US, he listened to everything former singer Jam Morales advised him about the proper breathing technique while singing. He’d go with Jam all the way to her recording studio in New Mexico and practice his songs any chance he got.

And like Come What May, the first song he sang publicly, Gabby will seize the moment, and wait in bated breath for the outcome.

He will agree to do a concert with daughter KC, herself a new recording artist, and enjoy the moment while it lasts. So proud is Gabby of his eldest daughter, he talks about her “one liners that make me laugh” in the CD’s liner notes.

He sings Come What May again, but this time, with all his heart and soul, sans the half-serious attitude he had the first time he rendered it. Gabby, in fact, teams up with the more seasoned Nina in the syrupy song about love willing to defy the odds.

The all-love song album spawns the usual question: Who is he offering those lyrical declarations of devotion to? Gabby is no veteran of controversies for nothing. He can spot the makings of a sticky situation a mile away. He flashes that good old Close-up smile and replies, “I’m dedicating those love songs to the Philippines and the Filipinos. How I miss them!”

He singles out the track, Ako Pa Ba?, which relates, Kay tagal na ng panahon/Nang ikaw ay makapiling ko/Hinahanap-hanap ang ligayang bawat sandali/At nananabik sa yong pagbalik.

Gabby explains those lyrics reflect exactly how he feels about returning to the Philippines after years of being away. Questions hound him.

“I wonder, do people still remember me? They might have forgotten after all these years,” admits Gabby. He claims to have gotten the answer one time he was performing before a crowd of US-based Pinoys.

“They were shouting, ‘Gary, Gary (Valenciano)!” Gabby points out with a self-deprecating laugh.

The story, of course, is a tall tale. And Gabby knows deep in his heart that no producer in his right mind will mount a show for him. Not one, but two producers are giving him a vote in confidence in this regard.

Roldan Castro is mounting the show called Faces, Voices and Bodies topbilling Gabby, with guests Toni Gonzaga, Valerie Concepcion, Joross Gamboa, the Baywalk Bodies on Aug. 14 at Zirkoh, Timog. Gabby’s other show, Gabby Concepcion on a Different Note, is set at Music Museum on Aug. 15 and 16, with special guests Claudine Barretto, Ai-Ai de las Alas, Pops Fernandez, Maja Salvador, Iya Villania and Lovi Poe.

That, the album and the MTV that goes with it show a Gabby willing to stick his neck out and explore uncharted territory, no matter what the cost.

He doesn’t have to stick his neck out that far though, where his wish of reviving ‘80s music is concerned. Gabby joins the ranks of other artists in bringing back the good old days when the cellphone was still unheard-of, when the computer was still a sight to see. Thus he revives such hits as Kung Kailangan Mo Ako (originally by Rey Valera), Iisa Pa Lamang (Joey Albert), Give Me a Chance (Ric Segreto), Nakapagtataka (Hajji Alejandro), Just Once (James Ingram) and others in his album.

In going back, not only to the music of the past, but also to his roots, Gabby is discovering things he never thought possible in himself. He is unearthing new abilities, taking a road he has never taken. Along the way, he is stumbling upon exciting possibilities, finding hidden fountains of pleasure.

In going back, Gabby is actually taking many steps forward. And all because he wants to be a good son and give back what his father has so generously bestowed on him all these years.