Album mới của Phương Thanh khởi đầu với bài chủ đề do cô viết lời Việt. Phải chi cô hát hoàn toàn tiếng Việt thì sẽ hay hơn nhiều vì Anh ngữ của cô có quá nhiều vấn đề. Cô gào thét chữ “mid” (trong “midnight”) như người đàn bà rao bán “mít” lúc nữa đêm. Nghe cũng thèm thèm. Thật là điều đáng tiếc là vì cách hát và lối hòa âm đậm chất rock nghe rất khác so với bài chính của Chris Norman.

Phần còn lại của album là những bài của Toàn Thắng và Phạm Khải Tuấn. Tuy những ca khúc này mới nghe lần đầu nhưng có cảm giác như chúng đã bị quên lãng đi mấy chục năm về trước. Giai điệu trong “Nụ Cười và Nước Mắt” của Toàn Thắng nghe như một sáng tác của Quốc Hùng. Còn “Làm Sao Để Quên Một Người” tựa như một bài ngoại quốc được Phạm Khải Tuấn chuyển sang lời Việt cho Phương Thanh và Lam Trường song ca.

Hai bài cuối được đưa vào cho đủ album quả thật không giúp được gì cả. Có lẽ nhạc sĩ Anh Bằng cũng không ngờ rằng “Anh Còn Nợ Em” sẽ bị nhắc mãi. Nợ nhà, nợ xe hay nợ nhà băng cùng lắm là phá sản. Nợ du đãng tệ nhất là bị chép chết là hết nợ. Còn nợ em thì không bao giờ trả hết. Tuy nhiên bài này rất hợp với Phương Thanh là vì cô ca y như đang giận dữ đòi nợ.

Hồ Quỳnh Hương has a marvelous range: raspy on the low and husky on the high. Though well-known as a pop star, she could maneuver her way around jazz and blues with ease and seduction. In her new release, Tĩnh Lặng, she’s back to the pop mainstream.

The album kicks off with her own tune “Nỗi Nhớ Anh Mùa Đông.” The track is a powerhouse ballad that starts out soft and launches into full force. It’s definitely a big hit that showcases her vocal competence. “Hallelujah” is the other track that she penned the lyrics herself. It’s actually a smart move on her part to write the lyrics in Vietnamese rather than singing in English. Even though her English is not so bad in “Love Me” (Phi Vân), she isn’t quite comprehended the nuances.

The rest of Tĩnh Lặng is filled with romantic numbers from hit-writers like Minh Hà, Mạnh Quân and Nguyễn Hữu Đức. Even though the album is nothing more than a typical pop ballad, it is enjoyable because of Hồ Quỳnh Hương’s voice.

Tuy Thiên Từ Ca là sự kết hợp giữa Bằng Cường và Thu Đặng, Bằng Cường không theo nổi đàn chị trong việc chuyên trị nhạc Trịnh Công Sơn. Thu Đặng có chất giọng trầm ấm và nồng nàn giống Lệ Thu. Khác là Thu Đặng ca khoảng âm thấp và không dùng chất vang như Lệ Thu nên cánh hát của Thu Đặng nghe rất êm và dể chịu.

Thu Đặng thả hồn mình vào những tình khúc của nhạc Trịnh như “Ru Ta Ngậm Ngùi” và “Để Gió Cuốn Đi” rất nhẹ nhàng và thanh thản. Tuy Bằng Cường cũng ca khoảng thấp nhưng lại bị lộ sự yếu ớt, run rẩy và thiếu tự tin như trong “Tôi Ơi Đừng Tuyệt Vọng” và “Mưa Hồng.” Rỏ ràng hơn nữa là qua những bài song ca. Nhất là trong “Ru Tình,” Bằng Cường ca thiếu hơi và không biết nên lên cao hay xuống thấp. Ngược lại thì Thu Đặng chuyên chở ca từ và giai điệu với đầy kinh nghiệm.

Khi nghe một bạn trẻ cố gắng hát nhạc Trịnh ta nên động viên và cổ vũ nhưng Bằng Cường chưa đến thời điểm và đủ trải nghiệm để khai thác ca từ của ông. Bằng Cường cần thêm thời gian để rèn luyện nếu thật sự muốn theo đuổi dòng nhạc này. Thiên Từ Ca nên là album đơn của Thu Đặng. Vì đây không phải là một cộng tác mà là sự cứu vớt đàn em.

Jay-Z has everything and he’s not ashamed to brag about it again on his 12th release Magna Carta Holy Grail. He’s rich as fuck: “A million sold before the album dropped / White Lexus before I had a deal.” He’s married to Beyoncé: “My baby momma harder than a lot of you niggas.” He has swag: “Leonardo Da Vinci flows / Riccard Tisci Givenchy clothes.”

Unlike Kanye West, his protégé and collaborator who pushes his music into uncharted territories, Jay can’t get beyond his comfort zone. As a result, even his most clever drug tale in “Picasso Baby” sounds staled: “Let’s make love on a million, in a dirty hotel / With the fan on the ceiling, all for the love of drug dealing.” On the other hand, his silly punchlines turn out to be quite witty like, “Fuck hashtags and retweets, nigga / 140 characters in these streets, nigga,” and “When I was talking Instagram / Last thing you wanted was your picture snapped.”

Beside the bravado as usual, the strongest moment comes up in “Oceans.” With Frank Ocean covering the hook, Jay rhymes about cruising on his luxury yacht while reflecting on the slave ships. Here’s one of Jay-Z’s brilliant wordplay: “On the holiday playing “Strange Fruit” / If I’mma make it to a billi I can’t take the same route.”

With Timbaland laying down infectious productions (for the most part), MCHG is an enjoyable listening. While Jay-Z’s gifted flow is unmatchable, his lyricism has yet to reach the personal level since The Black Album. Other than “Jay-Z Blue,” in which he shows his affection for his daughter, he uses wealth and success to mask his true feelings.

Cécile McLorin Salvant is an intriguing jazz singer with a style of her own. Her excellent debut, WomanChild, showcases her vocal range, technical chops and a rare gift for reinterpretation.

Her rendition of “You Bring Out the Savage in Me,” a controversial tune from Valaida Snow, is shocking yet humorous. Her phrasing is meticulous, particularly her enunciation in the following couplet: “My blood boils with the tropic heat / And the rhythm of my heart has a tom-tom beat.” Salvant’s take on “What a Little Moonlight Can Do,” a Billie Holiday’s joint, is quite something else. She pushes her vocals, plays with her tone and swings like hell with the fantastic rhythm section led by the pianist Aaron Diehl. “John Henry” is another outstanding cover that displays her powerful voice and exquisite taste in singing standards.

In addition to the rare repertoire from jazz history, WomanChild demonstrates Salvant’s own songwriting through the title track, “Le Front Cache Sur Tes Genoux” and the album-closer “Deep Dark Blue.” With her immense talent, Salvant is going to soar. This is just the beginning of a promising career.

“A monster about to come alive again,” Kanye West declares in “On Sight,” an opening track on his sixth studio release Yeezus. Over the heavily distorted synthesizer produced by Daft Punk, Kanye charges on, “Black dick all in your spouse again / And I know she like chocolate men / She got more niggas off than Cochran.” The monster is back and he’s darker, angrier, fouler and hornier than a motherfucker.

The lasciviousness is understandable as Kanye is about to become a father for the first time. To cope with his meltdown during Kim Kardashian’s pregnancy, he lets out all the sexual fantasies in “I’m In It”: “Eating Asian pussy, all I need was sweet and sour sauce” and “Put my fist in her like a civil rights sign.” He pushes further, “I’m a rap-lick priest / getting head by the nuns.”

If you could get past the ill rhymes, Yeezus is quite striking in term of musical direction. “Black Skinhead” reduces to a hard-hitting bass and powerful marching drums. In fact, the entire album takes on a minimalist approach. Gone are the complex palettes of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and the lush orchestration of Late Registration. The stripped-down beats allow more attention to the lyrics and that could be a curse as well, especially with lazy, Cam’ron-like punchlines: “Hey, you remember where we first met? / Okay, I don’t remember where we first met.”

Unlike his previous records, Yeezus is pared down to just ten tracks. In the hand of Rick Rubin, the album is coherently crafted to be experienced as a whole. With the less-is-more productions backing up in-your-fucking-face lyricisms, Kanye once again proves to be one of the most compelling artists who is not afraid to push his music to the next level.

For Father’s Day, my wife treated me to Ngọc Hạ Liveshow’s 10 Năm Sân Khấu, which was held in a small auditorium at Northern Virginia Community College. The show is part of a tour that Ngọc Hạ puts together herself to celebrate the 10th anniversary of her professional career. We left the kids with grandma on a Sunday afternoon to attend the show. I thought it would last about two hours the most and didn’t expect much from it, yet the ran almost four hours and surpassed my expectation.

Under the musical direction of pianist Nguyễn Quang and with the support from her good friends Nguyên Khang and Trần Thái Hòa, Ngọc Hạ gave fans around the Metro Area an unforgettable evening. She brought back so much memories from her successful performances including “Tình Hoài Hương” (Phạm Duy), “Đưa Em Tìm Động Hoa Vàng” (Phạm Duy), “Không Thể Và Có Thể” (Phó Đức Phương) and “Mái Đình Làng Biển” (Nguyễn Cường).

Trần Thái Hòa and Nguyên Khang gave their all as well. The duets between Ngọc Hạ and Trần Thái Hòa on “Kiếp Nào Còn Yêu Nhau” (Phạm Duy) and “Tóc Mai Sợi Vắng Sợi Dài” (Phạm Duy) were exceptional. Likewise the duets between Ngọc Hạ and Nguyên Khang on “Chân Trời Tím” (Trần Thiện Thanh) and “Trở Về Mái Nhà Xưa” (Phạm Duy) were outstanding. The surprise, unexpected duet was “Áo Anh Sứt Chỉ Đường Tà” from Trần Thái Hòa and Nguyên Khang.

Although the show was promoted as “nhạc thính phòng” (intimate music), the only performance that was closest to intimacy was Nguyên Khang’s rendition of “Cô Đơn” (Nguyễn Ánh 9), which accompanied only by piano. The rest of the tunes were backed up by the band, which consist of Nhật Huấn (synth), Nhật Hùng (bass), Nhật Hải (guitar) and Doanh Huỳnh (drums).

What made 10 Năm Sân Khấu a memorable show was that the three established singers are at the top of their game. Pianist Nguyễn Quang also had done an excellent job of holding down the keyboard as well as keeping the band in tuned. I am so glad to see Ngọc Hạ made the necessary investment on the show and it well paid off. If the show comes to a city near you, definitely worth checking out.

What do you get when a hot pianist and vocalist pays tribute to a cool jazz trumpeter? Tha shiznit. That’s right. Sexy Brazilian Eliane Elias swings hard, drops some mean blues notes and adds some bossa-nova flavors to Chet Baker’s classics on her latest I Thought About You.

The album kicks off with a savory, mid-tempo swing on the title track and Elias’s bluesy licks are just stunning. “There Will Never Be Another You” continues with a striking balance between bossa-nova and up-tempo swing, in which Randy Brecker recreates some of that intoxicating trumpet lines from Baker. The rhythm continues to drive on “This Can’t Be Love” with Marc Johnson holding down the hypnotic bass lines.

Even though Elias is quite a sensational vocalist, her singing takes a backseat to her piano chops. On the slow “Embraceable You,” which set in an elegant Latin rhythm, her keyboard drives her voice more than complementing it. She’s all about the groove, which makes I Thought About You quite an exciting listening experience. Would love to see her live one day.

After all these years Jamie Cullum still sounds like an energetic whippersnapper. His new release Momentum is like the Energizer Bunny on crack: it keeps on going. Once the speedy, snappy “The Same Thing” started, it just doesn’t stop. With his piercing vocals combined with endless poppy loops, Momentum gets annoying rather quick. “Love for $ale” is a $ad-a$$ remake of Cole Porter’s classic. The hip-hop beat, the tacky singing and the elementary rapping make the tune highly irritating. As the album title suggested, Momentum signifies speed but without substance.

If Trịnh Công Sơn is the Vietnamese equivalent of Bob Dylan and Tuấn Ngọc is the Vietnamese equivalent of Frank Sinatra than Hoài Phương is the Vietnamese equivalent of Kenny G. His latest release The Sounds of Love is a testament. He played smooth-ass sax sounds on top of preprogramed arrangements throughout the entire album.

Put on his rendition of “Ước Gì” in a lazy afternoon and you’ll guarantee to get knock the fuck out before the track is over. He plays the melody note for note and falls perfectly on every beat that has been complied. The soprano sax he blows, particularly in “Tiếng Mưa Đêm,” is snore-worthy.

Then again The Sounds of Love is not meant for listeners like me. The album is geared more toward American patrons in Vietnamese restaurants. The silky sound of Vietnamese pop ballads would go well with the westernized Vietnamese dishes.