By Francis Liwanag

# 1 SINGATURE HITS: OPM’S BEST!  and SENTI: 18 PINOY LOVE HITS!

In a music industry that’s relying more and more on the hits of the past to showcase the pop stars of the present and the future, it was only a matter of time until somebody put the real thing out there. The real thing meaning the original sources of these hits, the artist and the song that has stood the test of time, or at least transcended its fad and has gone on to join an elite pool of names and songs under the heading “classic.”   It is here that Vicor Music and Viva Records combined their deep catalogs and came up with the # 1 SIGNATURE HITS: OPM’S BEST! and SENTI: 18 PINOY MELLOW HITS! compilation albums, a veritable treasure trove of hits from the biggest OPM artists of the past 30 years.

# 1 SIGNATURE HITS: OPM’S BEST! contain songs such as Martin Nievera’s unforgettable “Ikaw Ang Lahat Sa Akin,” and Gary Valenciano’s “Di Na Natuto,” there’s the classic Basil Valdez in “Ngayon At Kailanman”, and the distinguished baritone of Nonoy Zuñiga in “Never Ever Say Goodbye.”
There are the signature love songs as well, the late Ric Segreto will always be remembered as long as his song “Don’t Know What To Do, Don’t Know What To Say,” is heard or played.  Jose Mari Chan of course became the soothing voice of croon in the 80’s with tunes like “Can’t We Stop And Talk Awhile.” Defining the sounds of the 70’s and the 80’s OPM of course are the music of APO Hiking Society with “Mahirap Magmahal Ng Syota Ng Iba,” and VST & Company put a definite pinoy stamp in disco with “Awitin Mo, Isasayaw Ko” while Cinderella defined cute and mushy OPM with “T.L. Ako Sa ‘Yo.”