Le Minh Son Can’t Sing

Le Minh Son is no doubt a multi-talented musician. With solid albums like Tung Duong’s Chay Tron, Ngoc Khue’s Ben Bo Ao Nha Minh, and Thanh Lam’s Nang Len, he proved to be a skillful songwriter, imaginative producer, and inventive guitarist in his own right. Now he wants to demonstrate he could sing—not quite. With the exception of Thanh Lam’s contribution on “Sau Bao,” he uses his own grumpy old voice to express himself in Gieng Lang, his latest album. After listening to Le Minh Son, I wonder where Thanh Lam got her overemotional style. When he reaches the high octave, the bottle-breaking screech in his voice is “À Í [Ẹ]” (and I thought Trong Tan’s rendition was bad). Le Minh Son should have just done his part behind the scene, and let Tung Duong helps him get his message across, even the most personal “Ga Trong Nuoi Con,” more effectively.