Cebu City, Philippines. It's not a place that springs to mind when the world's great music cities are considered. It's not Nashville, or Memphis, or Birmingham, or Detroit, or Seattle. But something is stirring in Cebu City. And its name is Missioned Souls.
Missioned Souls are a family band whose videos have gathered more than eight million views on YouTube, and their latest, a cover of Led Zeppelin's classic Whole Lotta Love, finds Stacey (12 years old, rhythm guitar/vocals), Neisha (14, lead guitar), Naces (15, bass) and diminutive drummer Ice (10) capturing the sound and spirit of the original with youthful zest and no small amount of precision.
"We are a family commissioned to propagate the importance of family unity by showing love and respect to each family member and for one another," say the band. "We put into action our God-given gifts to bring joy and fun into other people’s lives through music."
Missioned Souls' repertoire, to be honest, is all over the place. Sitting alongside Whole Lotta Love are versions of songs by Muse, Bon Jovi, Heart and Foo Fighters, but the band have also covered the likes of Bruno Mars, Abba (check out the harmonies on Fernando), Whigfield and Boney M. And, just like the Led Zeppelin cover, they're all performed with the same respect for the original recordings.
Parents Secan and Sheena are behind the project, with father Secan doing the sound engineering – he clearly knows what he's doing – and an expanded version of the band, with both mum and dad performing, featuring in many of the other videos. Indeed, mother Sheena's vocal on their version of Heart's All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You is something to behold.
Watch this space.
