Thanh Lam – Thanh Lam Acoustic

Thanh Lam’s beyond-maudlin singing is inescapable. Her newest acoustic jazz release has only eight tracks, yet it is so damn painful to get through. On Vu Quang Trung’s “Anh Yeu Em,” her moaning and groaning are just unbearable. The way she drags and stresses every word on Duc Huy’s “Mua Dong Sap Den” is hair-raising. Let’s be clear that making some horny noises is not scatting. As much as I like to hear Thanh Lam experimenting jazz, she just doesn’t have the chops for it. The more she tries; the more dreadful she sounds. It might be true that jazz is not in our blood.