| Artist: Alvin MY
Album Title: Learning You
Reviewed by Joanna Funk
Sabahan singer, songwriter and producer Alvin Mahathir Yunus (stage name Alvin MY) has made an absolutely fabulous EP. It's his debut solo offering; a taster for us, something which says: "Hi - I'm Alvin MY. This is what I am capable of doing, now that I have graduated from my time with Infinatez, and become my own man."
It's personal, shows Alvin's cultural diversity, and -- most importantly -- his universally musical heart. Whether it's Hip Hop, Sumazau, R&B, Soul, Jazz or a sentimental ballad - he's multicultural and multilingual. Most importantly - he's sincere: Alvin loves music and wants his music to reach and move YOU.
"Learning You" - the title track on the EP, has multiple meanings. On the initial level, it's a love song. On a secondary level, it expresses Alvin's desire to max out his music experience: to learn all he can about music, to understand it and create more of it and through that, to share his heart with you.
All the songs are his original compositions. This speaks volumes for me. This guy is out there, writing and singing his own songs. Snipe from the sidelines if you like, Alvin MY is not hiding from the world.
The songs are varied and embrace everything: modern life and hip hop elements, then some Sumazau grooves within that. He sings in English and in Malay. Sometimes the songs are tender, sometimes unrestrained happiness bursts through - he captures that on the track "Raya di Kinabalu", a tale about a traveller who comes home for Raya. Alvin says he was thinking about his siblings and good times in his home town when he wrote that song.
I was wowed-out by the guitar work in "Sing A Song". Then I looked at the credits - Matlan Kidz on lead guitar. I might have known! Moses de Silva played bass on that track. Alvin mentioned at the EP launch at Venetian Club that he learns a lot from recording with different artists, and wants to do as much of that as possible.
In "Cincin", which Alvin describes as "a wedding song inspired by the song 'Miniagal oh Sinsing' by the late legendary John Gaisah", there are some really challenging key changes in the middle of the song. When I first heard them, I thought, "Whoa, where is he going with that?" I listened several times, and by the time I got used to it, that track had become my favourite, because I look forward to those bits which were different from the norm. This is clearly the work of someone reaching out for new paths, striving for new directions on his exploratory journey. How excellent is that?
Alvin credits Reuben Raymond with the Dusun lyrics in the Intro and Outro. He says those are both tasters for his upcoming full length KadazanDusun album. What is there to stop this local hero? Nothing.
Thank you Alvin MY, for giving us a truly sterling piece of your heart. The album was mixed and remastered by Peter Peninting at D(EQ)Studio.
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