Chris Cantada was bitten by the music bug at an early age, enjoying a stint as the original drummer for SpongeCola until health issues prevented him from continuing with the band. He eventually landed a job as an audio engineer, but soon realised his passion still lay within music. After several years as an audio engineer, he decided to go back to where he once belonged. In 2011, with the help of friends, he wrote and recorded ‘Heartbeat’ within 3 months.

This album is a treasure especially to those who grew up in the 90′s and continued growing (music-wise) till the noughties. It is obvious with one listen, where Chris got inspiration from when he wrote the album. It reminded me of the good ol’ alternative music that occupied my walkman in the 90′s from Foo Fighters, Gin Blossoms, Duncan Shiek, Athenaeum, etc. I’d descibe it as 90′s with a modern twist. There are many catchy hooks in this one; you’ll just unknowingly hum them randomly while taking a walk.

The guitar tone in this album is warm, while the drum beats are crisp and well placed.
The lyrics are catchy without being cheesy, and are sung with conviction and purpose. All in all, it’s a raw, clean, balanced album; with songs that will surely be used for serenading.

Stand-out tracks for me are ‘Heartbeat’, ‘Bellarmine’, ‘Scarred’ and ‘Jigawatt’.

If given a choice between an office job and playing live music, I’m sure Cantada would choose music in a ‘Heartbeat’.

Make sure to check out Chris Cantada at:
www.facebook.com/chriscantadaforce