Quach Thanh Danh Vol.4 – Nhung Giai Dieu Du Duong

With his latest release, Nhung Giai Dieu Du Duong, Quach Thanh Danh goes straight sentimental, no dance-beat pops or rap-inspired hits, which is good. His warm baritone is perfect for crooning romantic ballads, and his northern accentuations added an exotic flavor to his deliveries. He pays attention to the diacritics, and enunciates each tone-mark clearly, something I find lacking in many young singers.

Although Quach Thanh Danh doesn’t take us to the dance floor, he ushers us back to the ballroom with a stella tango from Nguyen Dinh Nguyen’s “Chieu Thu.” His unforced flow and clean delivery are a reminiscent of Vu Khanh, but when he punctuates the period on the word dieu (“Thu gieo giai dieu chieu tho”), his style is unmistakable. Unfortunately, this song along with Nguyen Minh Anh’s “Tinh Vo Danh” have been released not too long ago on Trai Tim Lanh Gia, his volume 3.

Nhung Giai Dieu Du Duong is almost like Quach Thanh Danh ‘s ballads selection. At least half of the tracks (that I know of) are re-issued from his previous albums. The indelible “Xin Ru Muon Mang” (Doan Quang Anh Khanh) is from his debut Toi La Toi. Thu Khuc’s “Don Phuong Mot Cuoc Tinh” and Nguyen Nhat Huy’s “Nguoi Tinh Lai Loi” comes from his second volume Tinh Chia Doi. But, the album doesn’t tell us that. We have to figure it out.

I am not sure if he has released Trinh Cong Son’s “Thanh Pho Mua Xuan” and Thai Thinh “Gui Gam” elsewhere already, but both of them are excellent. He gives a genuine performance on Trinh’s piece. Weakest is Thai Hung’s “Anh Van Cho Em,” in which he overemphasized the lyrics, and his delivery is banal and breathy on Vu Quoc Binh’s “Lang Le Tinh Buon.”