Woman Today Magazine, May 21, 2003 Issue

Larry Marshall - the blonde and blue-eyed Pinoy

(by: Victor S. Sevilla)

The music scene is swarming with the increasing all-dancing and all-singing boy band, gaudy divas hoping to unseat Britney, rap mongers exhorting cheap thrills and deafening rock bands.  These days, celebrity is hinged not so much on talent, but on attitude.  Fake an image, spin some hypes and you're on your way to stardom.  Happily, Larry Marshall is an artist in no hurry and chooses to tread the less-traveled path to fame - the one that requires talent, sincerity and a good dose of humility.

A lot of Filipinos who visit the States often come back with a palpable twang, as if speaking English with a Valley accent will give them a semblance of wit, or intelligence.  So it is quite disconcerting to encounter a full-blooded American who sincerely delights in speaking Tagalog and speaking it in a grammatically sound way.  Now, let the locals who try too hard eat humble pie. ("I'm nah ready to try daring roles yet, but I also don't want to be typecasted," or words to that effect, said one Pinay diva in an interview with an Asian news channel. Darling, the word 'not' has a letter 't' at the end which should be enunciated.  And "typecasted?" There's no such word, girl.)

Ikaw Ang Dahilan, Marshall's debut album (in the Philippines) celebrates the beauty and poetry of Tagalog songs.  Collaborating in the album are respected songwriters such as Vehnee Saturno, Mico Alvero and Jimmy Borja.  A good 80 percent of the songs in the album are ballads and the rest are upbeat music that all generations can dance to.  In a world trying its damnedest to learn the lyrics of "Ketchup Song," this is indeed a refreshing change.

Besides the language, Ikaw Ang Dahilan brings to the fore Marshall's soulful voice.  Blessed with a vulnerable and romantic tonal quality, Marshall is able to pull at the heart without being cheesy or saccharine.  This is one album that is not only written in Tagalog, but successfully captures the inherent romantic quality of the language as well.

"Sa susunod na album ko siguro R&B naman, o kaya rap, o baka something jazzy.  Basta siyempre sa Tagalog kasi hindi ako marunong mag-English," he says in colloquial Tagalog.  Of course his is jesting, but he might as well be telling the truth.  After all, this is on Pinoy who happens to be blue-eyed and blonde.