The Son – Doi Toi Chi Mot Nguoi

With his formal training in opera, The Son could hold a note longer than it needs to. On the title track of his unimaginative album, he does just that without even a rough edge could be heard. He has such a smooth, polished voice that when he sings a drunken tune like “Trai Tim Tat Nguyen,” he sounds like a sober guy.

The major problem with The Son isn’t just his voice, but he spends way too much of his time trying to make hits instead of carving out a niche for himself. He covers the most covered tunes including the exhausting “Lat Mat Mua Xuan,” “Ve Day Em” and “Khuc Tram Ca” with nada creativity. Thuy Nga’s mechanical productions aren’t helping either. Even on the bossa-nova remake of “Vet Thuong Cuoi Cung,” he stays so faithful to the melody that it just sounds strenuous.

Doi Toi Chi Mot Nguoi satisfies his fans, but not going to win him any newcomer. The Son needs to get out of his comfort zone and experiment new sounds. Covering hand-me-down hits just don’t do it for him. For the sake of change, put his training in good use. Cut an opera album or something.