Tung Duong – Li Ti

That’s it? Two years in making Li Ti and Tung Duong could only come up with six songs. To make the album sounds complete, he has to add two instrumental tracks.While the quality of the productions are superb, what makes Li Ti a disappointment is the lack of inventiveness.

Whereas his previous album, Nhung O Mau Khoi Lap Phuong, was an imaginative exploration of electric music, Li Ti is more like running on electric circulation. As if NOMKLP was way too far out, Tung Duong dumbs down his music for a wider audience. The lead-off “Troi Cho” is impressive in setting up the ambient vibe with rock, but the rest aren’t up to Tung Duong’s envelop-pushing, evolving style. He sounds restraint on “Con Co.” His delivery doesn’t flow with the orchestration, which would have made a gorgeous score alone. In contrast, Tung Duong’s flow is fantastic on “Giang To” but the production never takes off. The title track, on the other hand, goes nowhere vocally as if the composition was not written for singing.

While Li Ti is much more accessible than his previous releases, it is also the dullest. In addition, Li Ti is a sign that Tung Duong’s electric experimentation has run dried. It’s time to return to the acoustic blues and jazz styles that he was so damn good at.