The impact of Europop quartet ABBA is reflected through the various cover versions of their songs. But given their impressive vocal range and infectious tunes, there needs to be some careful consideration when deciding to cover ABBA, or else you end up as that “loser standing small.”
Filipino-born Los Angeles act Garth Garcia took a brave step by choosing the group’s signature piece “Dancing Queen” for his latest single. His rendition was released on Sept. 7 on digital stores.
When you cover a song, a good reason to do it will take you in the right direction. Garth had it after touring with a tribute band performing songs popularized by Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, and Anni-Frid.
“I got inspired to cover ‘Dancing Queen’ when I was given a chance to tour with The Music of ABBA. I worked with Miyamoto Sounds on producing and recording the track,” he noted.
Garth’s “Dancing Queen,” released under his label Starlink Music, does it gracefully in my ears. The first run had me telling myself, “not bad.” A few repeats of the track sometime later convinced me that it’s good. When I got the chance to play it again and again, I was already jiving and having the time of my life.
The slick arrangement complemented the singer’s falsetto and nuances. For one, the way the line “And when you get the chance” is delivered smoothly escorts the dancing queen – with thrill and ease.
An artist must embrace the pressure of rendering a song that even the worst dancer can dance to. Garth related, “There was a lot of pressure on recording this classic song, but we made sure to put a different flavor and modern twist on it without taking away its original sound.”
If I were to interpret that, it means this is a track to set you in a good mood, letting you groove right as well without being bothered by its treatment. As a music observer, I have endured the ignominy of hearing songs where singers yell instead of pouring it out just enough, or the convoluted instrumentation simply doesn’t work. Garth’s “Dancing Queen” may take center stage at any party.
Thanks partly to Garth’s deep experience in the covers department. He had a string of properly done renditions before dealing with a piece that helped define dance pop. Some of his previous covers include his revival of Jocelyn Enriquez’s hit “Do You Miss Me,” Selena’s “Dreaming Of You,” Tiffany’s “All This Time,” and Michael Learns To Rock’s “Paint My Love,” which he recorded with Lucho Beech and Juls King.
He also did his take of Silent Sanctuary’s “Sayo” with Sheryn Regis, and Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” with Tootsie Guevara.
On his collaboration with Tootsie, whose discography is iconic itself, he said, “It was planned by the both of us. She chose the song, and my friend Kevin Hermogenes did the vocal arrangement, with acoustic guitar by Mark Flores.”
Answering straight with proper acknowledgment—that’s how Garth is. It’s a part of his character that has made him a beloved figure in the Fil-Am community and beyond. So much so that he is dubbed Fil-Am’s Prince of Pop.
As for originals, his “Always In My Head” hit number one on the US iTunes electronic chart. His debut album under Ivory Music back in 2014 included his would-be radio hit “Masaya Na Akong Iniwan Mo.”
It all started for Garth Garcia when he became a finalist in ABS-CBN’s Star In A Million.
This guy who moved to the US in 2016 has certainly gone a long way, standing tall in a world where “the winner takes it all.” Here in Southern California, you’d either see him sharing the stage with Jaya, receiving an award from some award-giving body, leading a pack of Filipino talents to the moon and back, addressing social media toxicity with a grin, and being Mr. Friendship in style.
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