Duc Tuan – Bay Gio Bien Mua Dong

Before Duc Tuan, singers who get Duong Thu’s approval for his music were mostly women: Hong Nhung, My Linh, Khanh Linh, Thanh Lam, Tran Thu Ha, Nguyen Thao and Bang Kieu. To this reviewer’s ear, Hong Nhung and Nguyen Thao were the two most successful in articulating Duong Thu’s nature-inspired lyricism. They sing his music in a very easy-going approach. Duong Thu coached Duc Tuan to do the same in Bay Gio Bien Mua Dong, Duc Tuan’s latest album. Unlike Hong Nhung and Thao Nguyen, Duc Tuan has lost that natural instinct after his second album. The major different between Duc Tuan and the two female singers is that he forces himself to sound effortless. Throughout the album, but “Bai Ca Dao Mua Dong” and “Cua So Mua Dong” in particular, listeners can tell that he tries his hardest not to break a sweat. Bay Gio Bien Mua Dong is a proof that natural singing is something that cannot be trained. You either have it or you don’t.