Hong Nhung – Ngay Khong Mua

Out of all Hong Nhung’s albums, Ngay Khong Mua is her weakest work. The problem is that – most of the time – she does not drive the beats. On Bai Hat Ru Cho Anh, she flows inside the arrangements, but on this album, she only rides beside the chords. As a result, her vocals sound bland. Once her voice is not fluctuating, it causes the music to be unexciting.

Even Duong Thu’s compositions could not save her this time. His “Pho Mua Dong” and “Bai Hat Ru Mua Dong” are the only two tracks that she could deliver reasonable performances. One of the luminous pieces is Quoc Trung’s “Tinh Yeu o Lai.” Though her timbres are not changing drastically, they fit flawlessly with Quoc Trung’s simple writing. The music is like a modern version of Trinh Hung’s classic folk “Loi Ve Xom Nho.” The lyrics in “Tinh Yeu o Lai” escape me from the cold winter while Hong Nhung walks me to the blossomed rice fields as her warm and sweet voice enters, “Da het buon va het van vuong / lua da vang toa ngat huong dong.” Yes, I can smell the fresh scent of the new crops.

Ngay Khong Mua may be the weakest album among her classics, but it is no way an unpleasant work. If she could embrace the dynamic persistently on every song, similar to the way she does on La Van Cuong’s “Roi Co Luc,” this would have been another eminent record. The song gives listeners a more delicate style of Hong Nhung and she is right inside the piano. The album proves that she is not afraid to experiment with new materials. Speaking of her new works, I cannot wait to collect both Mot Ngay Moi and Khu Vuon Yen Tinh.