Listening Party: Zack Tabudlo and Al James Join Forces in ‘Gusto’

Filipino hitmakers Zack Tabudlo and Al James come together for ‘Gusto’

Zack Tabudlo and Al James collide on a collaboration for the ages with the recent release of ‘Gusto’. The brand-new track explores the perspective of someone smitten yet hesitant in conveying their attraction towards their beloved. 

In this edition of the Listening Party, we take a look at ‘Gusto’, examining both its lyrics and the music in its totality. The track marks the next step as Tabuldo further explores his sound, diverging from what we had grown accustomed to. Yet some things just don’t go away as his charm and his at-this-point patented falsetto shine through the track – accompanied and complemented by James.

Lyrically. ‘Gusto’ takes the perspective of someone that is in love but finds difficulty in expressing it towards their beloved. Hesitance and shyness take over, leaving them looking from afar and unable to approach.

Hanggang tingin na lang ba sa’yo?

‘Di makalapit sa ganda mo

Gusto lang na makilala pa

Kaso medyo nahihiya

The narrator finds themself torn between two strong opposing forces: their overpowering inability to convey their affection and their overwhelming desire for their love. It’s a feeling that’s all too familiar for the introverts out there.

Gusto lang kita makasama

Hanggang sa pagbaba ng araw

‘Pag tayo na lang dalawa

Hindi lang masabi ‘pag may iba

Gusto lang naman na aminin sa’yo

Ang nararamdaman ng aking puso

Wala nang iba, ‘wag nang pahirapan pa

Andito na

Al James hops in towards the latter part of the track. He imagines a future with his beloved, but in a change of heart, a leaving of his shell in a sense, he concludes the verse, saying he’d confess everything he has held to himself thus far should the fantasy he had concocted be just a dream.

Interestingly, a change in traditional song structure, James’ verse was placed in between the bridge and the final chorus.

Sa t’wing kasama ka para ‘kong lumulutang (Wow)

Kung ga’no kasaya, ‘yun ang ‘di ko masukat (No)

Lakas ng amat, ‘di kaya ko ginayuma (Let’s go)

Hanggang ngayon kapit pa rin sa aking halimuyak niya

Gumagaan lahat ng pabigat (Gumagaan lahat)

Patuloy lang tayo sa pagliyab (Patuloy lang tayo)

Kung lahat ‘to panaginip lang

Paggising ko, pangako ‘yan, agad ko sasabihin na

Musically. Emphasis is placed primarily on lyrical wordplay and vocal performance. The instrumental centers on a funky guitar rhythm that plays throughout the track’s runtime. There is essentially no variation in this regard—within 10 seconds of playing the song, you’d have a pretty clear idea of what to expect for the rest of the four-minute-20-second release.

Energy remains rather constant, inviting listeners to groove and vibe as Tabuldo and James coast through the track. It picks up and doesn’t look back however in the second pre-chorus when Tabuldo showcases his ever-familiar falsetto.

Hindi ko masabi ang gusto aminin

Ang hirap sabihin na

And he just keeps going higher and higher, taking it up a notch in the bridge. With a song that is positively monotonous and relaxed, these brief flourishes elevate it to another level.

Mangangarap na lang ba

Na ikaw ang kasama?

Ayoko nang mag-isa

Our two artists come together to beautifully cap off ‘Gusto’. The pair perform the final chorus; James performing at a lower register, and Tabuldo delivering the vocals as per usual all while embellishing the song’s last few seconds with falsettos at the top. The combination of voices, tones, and ranges is just exquisite—we are essentially hearing ‘Gusto’ in three different ways—it completes the experience.

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Tabuldo recently hit over eight million listeners on Spotify, making him the first-ever Filipino artist to do so.

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Lyrics courtesy of Genius