Thanh Thuy – Co Hong

Complete contrast to the older singer with the same name, the young Thanh Thuy has a clear, fragile soprano. Although her voice is gorgeous, she shorts the skills and experience to cover Pham Duy’s ballads. Her new release, Co Hong, features eight of Pham Duy’s standards including “Ngay Xua Hoang Thi,” “Em Le Chua Nay” and “Tim Nhau.” The lack of confidence is revealed through her weak deliveries and stiff phrasings. On each track, particularly “Dua Em Tim Dong Hoa Vang,” she hardly moves out of her comfort range and Bao Chan’s lifeless arrangements don’t help strengthen her performances either. With the exception of “Kiep Nao Con Co Nhau,” in which Bao Chan switches up a bit with a semi-classical orchestration, the album is consistently dull.