Jay Ortega is back with a new band and a new LP

MANILA -- Talk about a second go-around.

After a shocking exit from Apartel within weeks of that band’s release of its debut album, "Inner Play," in 2017, Jay Ortega is on the rebound with his new soul/funk band, Holmes.

The band (vocalist Ortega, bassist Louie Talan, guitarists Marco de Leon and Joko Reantaso, drummer Ciro de Leon, keyboardist Ken Carandang, and saxophonist Ronald Tomas) recently dropped their independently released debut album on vinyl, "Ray Dee Oh," and the record has done pretty well in terms of sales.

Ortega, along with frequent collaborator, Talan, worked on the album for the better part of the last two years and the former describes the album as close to a labor of love.

“Your proverbial blood, sweat, tears, and hard-earned money were put into Ray Dee Oh,” revealed Ortega. “We painstakingly paid a lot of attention to detail and instrumentation. It took us almost an entire year to mix before we shipped it to Nashville, Tennessee for mastering. Even then, we still had to re-master three tracks.”

While the record is pricey at P2,500, it is good to see that Ortega and Holmes did not scrimp on quality.

“It costs more to produce and record and album with international quality,” Ortega made sure to emphasize with regards to the cost. “That includes the fees to the musicians including several sessionists, studio time, and others. Furthermore, it comes on pink vinyl with a six-page booklet inside. These are the realities of creating something that isn’t half-assed.”

Holmes is one of the few bands to get it right. It has been frustrating to see many local artists re-release or put out new albums on vinyl but omit inserts. Some have done so with gatefold jackets that include the lyrics, photos, and other related information, but most do not. They have gone for the format (which is expensive) and yet, still don’t go all the way. That is what you call fan service.

While Holmes’ music is a mix of funk and soul, the influences are diverse. On the second track, “Lost & Found,” the R&B of Bell Biv DeVoe influence kicks in. The eighth song, “69BPM” has New Wave band Depeche Mode all over it. There are hints of Daft Punk, Jamiroquai, Hall & Oates, Lenny Kravitz, and Maroon 5 as well.

And the band name is as close to what Ortega, Talan, and company wanted to achieve.

“Groove-based and sexy stuff,” cooed Ortega albeit rather mischievously. Undoubtedly, also paeans to Sherlock Holmes and John Holmes. In the vernacular, “medyo maginoo at medyo bastos.”

And "Ray Dee Oh" through 10 tracks achieves just that, innuendos and all. It is a solid debut for Holmes. And it adds to a soul, funk, and R&B scene that is buzzing with artists like the Chillitees, Flippin’ Soul Stompers, and Apartel to name a few that are carrying the torch.