The Best Song of Đinh Hương

Yesterday morning, my wife introduced me to Đinh Hương. Since I had not heard of her before, I hesitated to listen to her latest release, The Best Song of Đinh Hương. Furthermore, I was skeptical of “The Best of” compilation for marketing purpose. Nevertheless, I gave it a shot.

The lead-off track, her rendition of Bart Howard’s “Fly Me to the Moon,” hooked me in immediately with her slightly smoky timbre. She has a sexy voice and her English pronunciation is flawless even though she was born and raised in Việt Nam. In addition, she can fucking swing. Anyone who can make Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” her own has my endorsement. She gives Jackson’s pop hit a bit of funk and a whole lot of soul.

She introduces John Fogerty’s “Proud Mary” as something “nice and easy.” She starts off the tune easy and bluesy, but rocks it up in the second half. The album closes out with Frank Sinatra’s “New York New York.” The jazzy, swingy arrangement gives me the winter holiday vibe and it’s only mid October. Đinh Hương has the chops to be a jazz singer.

This album is a good introduction to a young, talented singer. She writes her own songs as well and I’ll definitely check out her original works.