No one can do Ray Charles like brother Ray himself, not even with the three superstars, Willie Nelson, Wynton Marsalis and Norah Jones, came together.

Listening to Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles makes me want to return to The Birth of the Soul box set. Brother Ray brought so much soul into his songs that Willie Nelson’s laid-back style came across as plain lazy. “Hit the Road Jack” and “Busted” for example, Ray sang with so much anguish that you can feel his pain, even though the lyrics suggested otherwise, whereas Nelson just sounded worn out. On “What’d I Say,” Ray’s moaning part was so damn seductive whereas Nelson’s “heys” and “hos” sounded like he needed some viagra to get it up, and Marsalis should stick to the trumpet rather than trying to micmic Ray.

Norah Jones’s version of “Come Rain or Come Shine” was soothing and Marsalis’s solo added a touch of tenderness to the tune. While the vocals are lackluster, Here We Go Again has enjoyable moments thanks to Marsalis’s traditional-but-sensational arrangement.

Nguyen Hong Nhung’s latest release, Duong Nhu, displays her maturity in handling classic ballads. From Cung Tien’s “Hoai Cam” to Pham Duy’s “Nghin Trung Xa Cach” to Trinh Cong Son’s “Ru Em Tung Ngon Xuan Nong,” she delivers each song with soulfulness and tastefulness, but still lacking the uniqueness. Because these timeless tunes have been sung to death from generation to generation, they need to be reinvigorated. Singing them straight on the melody just won’t cut it.

The strength of the album isn’t from the classic covers, but from Mai Thanh Son’s compositions. “Duong Nhu” and “Nghiet Nga” blend surprisingly well with the rest of the tracks on the album despite they are written by a young musician. “Duong Nhu” is captivating thanks to the little bluesy keyboard licks in the arrangement. Mai Thanh Son has not only done a wonderful job of producing it, he has also done an excellent of penning the lyrics. “Nghiet Nga” is also well written. The lyrics and the melody are far better than today’s trendy pop tunes.

When Mai Thanh Son appeared on Asia’s stage singing well-known English tunes, I couldn’t figure out why Asia took him under its wing. His weak, virgin voice doesn’t stand out, but now I can see where his real talent is. He is a fantastic arranger, which I had noticed when he produced some tracks for Nguyen Khang’s show. Now his tunes on Nguyen Hong Nhung’s album make me interested in his work behind the scene more than in front of the camera and on the mic. The good thing is that he lets Nguyen Hong Nhung sings his songs. Listening to both of his and her version of “Nghiet Nga,” one can clearly tell that Nguyen Hong Nhung kicked the tune up a notch.

On the evening of May 26, 2011, I took the Metro home from work just like any ordinary day, except the heat rised above 90 degrees. My final destination was Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Station. I usually waited by the the bus stop on the northside for my wife and son to pick me up, but on that day I waited inside the terminal to hear two young buskers (a male on violin and female on cello) sawing away some classical pieces. While observing their playing, I could hear faithly a trumpet sound from the southside of the terminal.

Fifteen minutes went by and still didn’t see my wife’s car so I walked over to the other side to check out the other busker. The man who was soaking sweat under the sun was in the middle of playing a mid-tempo solo accompanied by a pre-programmed rhythm section coming out of a speaker that was connected to an iPod.

He had a big tone with clean chops that are reminscent of Miles Davis. At the end of the tune, I complimented him, “You have the Miles sound.” He replied, “Thanks. Today is Miles’ birthday.” I was like, “Really?” He nodded his head while dialing his iPod. He went on, “I got some Miles’ tunes for you.” Then he began to play his own interpretion of “Milestones” and “Four.” He also covered a beautiful ballad, “It Never Entered My Mind,” on both muted and open trumpet.

After hearing the three tunes, I wanted to get his CD, but he only had one left. He warned me that the CD is a smooth jazz and he didn’t think a Miles freak like me would enjoy it. I copped it away.

The trumpeter’s name was Freddie Dunn and Longing for the Moon featured most of his original compositions except for Thelonious Monk’s “Monk’s Mood” and Eden Ahbez’s “Nature Boy.” The album opens with “Looking at the Moon.” The soothing, late-night groove indeed suggests a smooth flavor, but Dunn was able to squeeze out some melodic phrases against the pre-arranged beat.

On “VinBev.com,” “Nature Boy” and “Toonin’ In,” Dunn uses the muted tone to create a startling sound that reminded me of what Miles had done on Tutu, one of my personal favorites of Electric Miles. “Toonin’ In,” in particular, is so hauntingly wicked as if his pointed playing was cutting through the urban beat. “Fre-chan” is a sensational collaboration with altoman Eugene Chapman. After the two horn players take turn chopping up the funkified beat, Dunn returns to the slow, relaxing “Monk’s Mood” to showcase his ballad playing.

Dunn was being modest when he told me that Longing for the Moon is a smooth jazz album. Sure the records are lay back and mellow, yet his solos are anything but sleepy or boring. I am so glad that I spotted him.

Poor thang. My future ex-mistress Hoang Thuy Linh has fallen into a sophomore slump. Luu Thien Huong has made an erroneous move by replicating the success of Hoang Thuy Linh’s debut. Dung Voi Vang ended up sounding like leftover junks from the first album.

Dance-pop formula once again applied, but way less effective on Dung Voi Vang. The productions are still high quality, but static even the club joints. The lyrics are banal with no punchlines. The heavy use of Auto-Tune makes Hoang Thuy Linh sounds more like machine than human. It also exposes her weakness: limited range.

Whereas the previous album has three solid, addictive slow jams (“Cam On Vi Da Yeu Em,” “Anh Co Nho Gi” and “Cho Nhau Loi Di Rieng”), this one has none. “Lai Lan Nua” is just slow and boring. On “Em Se La Giac Mo,” she sounds as if she was rather sleeping than singing. The English hook, “I wanna run,” on “Chay Tron” can get really irritating. The closing “Giau” is the only tune that she’s actually feeling the beat.

I watched Asia’s Anh Bang – Dong Nhac Luu Vong last week, but couldn’t bring myself to write anything about the video. I am tired of Asia’s political theme, the lip-syncs and the recycling of arrangements, but most of all, I was dramatized by the theatrical actings. Lam Thuy Van’s “Ke Chuyen Dem Vo Cung” damn near gave me a nightmare. The images of people and boat sinking couldn’t escape my mind.

Yesterday, I rewatched the DVDs to “commensurate April 30,” the day the communist took over power thirty six years ago. With the MC parts skipped, I found entertaining moments from the video. I am not sure if the timing was right or the liquor did the work, but I enjoyed both Bang Tam’s version of “Dung Noi Yeu Toi” and Y Phung’s “Sau Le Bong 2.” Both of these tracks had the same arrangement used for Son Tuyen many years ago, so all I did was letting Bang Tam and Y Phung lip-synced over Son Tuyen’s tracks. Vocal wise, neither Bang Tam nor Y Phung could match Son Tuyen, but visually, both of them surpassed Son Tuyen. As a result, I got the best voice to go with the good looking chicks.

I have read quite a bit of complaints about Ho Hoang Yen showing her boobs in her performance, but I have to thank her for her sacrifice. She understood how painful it is for viewers to go through this entire program; therefore, she had to do something to take the viewers’ mind of the heavy content. It worked for me. They sure were a distraction from her performance. What was she singing again?

One of the most powerful tracks on the program was “Nuoc Mat Que Huong” performed by Dang The Luan. Anh Bang lyrics were so moving, specially the closing line: “Con co anh em noi giong Lac Hong doi lai bien dong.” The only problem was Dang The Luan didn’t come across as a fighter. He looked as if he would be the first guy to run off if he was sent to battle.

My personal favorite track on here has to be “Nhu Em,” not only because of Nguyen Khang’s smoky voice and Vu Tuan Duc’s sensational orchestration, but also Do Trung Quan’s wordplay: “Gia troi dung mua, anh dung nho / Troi khong mua va anh khong nho, anh biet lam gi.” Subtle but very clever, good choice Nguyen Khang.

That’s pretty much the highlights from Dong Nhac Luu Vong for me. After all, we need to understand Asia’s strategy for running down the political route. Asia has shown over and over again, that the production can not compete against Thuy Nga for entertainment. It has to carve out its own niche to stay strong in the game.

After releasing 101 Paris By Night videos, Thuy Nga finally steps up its game. Except for a few up-tempo performances, Paris By Night 102: Tinh Ca Lam Phuong were recorded live. The sound quality was a bit rough, but the singers were much livelier than before. Ngoc Anh whose voice is so rugged and raw benefitted the most from singing live. Her version of “Em Di Roi” was poignant and soulful. Thu Phuong also brought down the joint with “Bai Tho Khong Doan Ket.” If you haven’t seen Thu Phuong in concert, I highly recommend you check her out.

As for most live performers, they held up pretty well. Luong Tung Quang was passible, but the chicks were mad hot. Not sure why Nhu Loan needed a mic since she was clearly lip-singing, but the worse part of the show was the comedy routine by Hoai Linh and Chi Tai. The sexual references were just plain tasteless and disgusting, way beyond porn. Watching the skit with the whole family felt wrong on so many level. Skip it if you’re going to watch with your folks.

Hoai Phuong’s arrangements brought a new change even though they weren’t all that great. What makes Paris By Night 102 stand out were the passion from the singers for performing live. They showed the real connection to the lyrics, particularly Mai Thien Van on “Den Khuya,” and their appreciation for Lam Phuong. He only exaggerated a bit when he said that the show was the best thing he had heard in his life. With this new direction, let’s hope that other productions, especially Asia, will follow.

Raymond’s Toys & Music, which locates inside Hoa Binh Plaza in Philadelphia, is one of my favorite shops for Vietnamese music. I used to kill time in the store while waiting for my mom doing her grocery in the nearby supermarket. Yesterday I went back for the first time in many years and the place hasn’t changed much. Outside the door, I was greeted with two tables of CDs ranging from trendy pop to Vietnamese opera for as low as $2.50 a pop and a small-screen TV playing Cambodian music video. Paris By Night 102 was blasting inside on a huge flat-screen TV.

What I love about the place is that I could find some original classics for a cheap price. I discovered Peter Zak’s Purple Refrain in the bargain pile for $3 or something. I didn’t know who Peter Zak was, but Purple Refrain was an instant love and has been my favorite Vietnamese jazz album of all time. I could have paid $20 for this album and it is still worth the price. I also found out about Thien Phuong through Tro Ve Mai Nha Xua in this store (though not at a bargain table).

Yesterday I dug through its jungle of CDs and came across Thanh Ha’s Ru Em Tung Ngon Xuan Nong. The back cover doesn’t give any credit to the musicians so I didn’t know what to expect, but Thanh Ha sings Trinh’s music for $5 is definitely a bargain. The three-hour drive from Philly to Fairfax was just awesome thanks to the incredible arrangements and Thanh Ha’s sensational delivery. As soon as I got home, I opened up the album sleeve and bam, Duc Tri was the man behind the project. Ru Em Tung Ngon Xuan Nong released in 2004 and yet I haven’t heard of it until now. I should have kicked my own ass for this, but it’s better late than never.

Ru Em Tung Ngon Xuan Nong puts her recent albums, Chia Khoa Tinh Yeu and The Evolution of Thanh Ha, to shame. The title track is marvelous thanks to Luan Vu’s lush violin and Duc Tri’s luscious keyboard accompanying Thanh Ha’s sexy voice. “Roi Nhu Da Ngay Ngo” kicks off with Nguyen Khang’s smoky intro and Thanh Ha rides the bossa-nova flavor as smooth as CSL-class Benz. Likewise, her bluesy version of “Rung Xua Da Khep” is intoxicating. Love the way she maneuvers her way around the walking bass.

The whole joint is a tight set track for track with no wasted space and no filler. The atmospheric vibe on the exceptional album-closer “Tien Thoai Luong Nan” makes you wish that Thanh Ha would bring back the classic good taste and fuck Evolution.

So he’s back. The clown that brought to you the hilarious cai luong-rap “Lay Tien Cho Gai.” With his new release Ghe Khung, Phong Le has yet to step out of his comical role as a Viet MC (his collaboration with Bao Liem on “Giang Ho” is the proof), but he has definitely stepped up his game in term of flow and beat choices.

The title track is one of his story-telling sillinesses that allows him to break into the Vietnamese audience. Like most rappers, Phong Le’s subject matters wrap around girl, sex and fame. In “Den Voi Anh” (featuring Huy Vu on Auto-Tune), Phong rhymes in a horny-little-boy voice: “Ba ma anh khong co o nha thi minh tha ho ma huong / Neu em khong muon thi minh nam coi phim chuong / Roi sao do anh se lam cho em suong.”

The smartest moment in the album is actually when he’s not rapping. How ironic? “Ho Phu Sinh Ho Tu” is a skit between Phong and his dad. While the old man tried to teach his son not to smoke, he lighted up a cigarette. His reason for smoking was the depression from the war. Phong responded, “The war had ended 30 years ago.”

The hardest track on the album is “Tro Lai.” The dual language works rather well with Chosen holding down the English part. In his raspy voice, Chosen raps, “I am on a higher level while you sing your falsetto.” It almost sounds like a diss to his own partner on the same track, but that’s just me. Then again, I find Ghe Khung to be quite entertaining for a spin or two.

Le Cat Trong Ly and Esperanza Spalding share some similar characteristics: they are young and talented; they play a string instrument; they write and sing their original songs; they have their own musical style; best of all, they both rock out a pretty awesome perm. While Ms. Spalding leads her own path to breakout jazz and soul, Ms. Le carves out her own niche away from the mediocre Vietnamese pop scene.

Ms. Le’s self-titled debut begins with “Giac Mong Lon” that immediately sets her apart from the over-saturated pop singers in and out of Viet Nam. The lyrics are simple but thoughtful. The music is kept to the minimal with just an acoustic guitar from Cao Hong Ha and elegant keyboard from Vu Dang Quoc Viet. The interaction between these two young instrumentalists is quite alluring. Love the way Vu Dang comps behind Ms. Le’s sweet, luscious vocals.

“Mua Yeu” is a straightforward but playful piece written when she was 19, at the age she claims that she didn’t know anything about composing music, but loved Mozart and Pham Duy. “Huong Lac” (based on Tram Huong’s poem) is another tune composed in the same time that showcases Ms. Le’s love for northern folk melodies and her guitar-picking skills.

Composed at 22, “Chuyen Xe” shows the maturity in her writing. Right after the closing bars, “Biết em thôi những giấc mơ ngày xưa, ngày nay, ngày mai, ngày sau / Có khi là em chết hơn trăm lần,” Ms. Le glides into her intoxicating blues chords and picks away some soulful guitar lines on the upper register. This girl got some serious chops and let’s hope that she continues to move forward rather than getting sucked into the whirlwind of mainstream pop like Thuy Tien.

In 2009, Hien Thuc released Portrait 17, a Trinh Cong Son’s songbook. With fancy electric beats and slick r & b flavors, the album showed that Hien Thuc lacked the experience to take Trinh’s music to its fullest. Her new Trinh’s release, Thien Su, however, marks a sea change.

What a tremendous improvement in just two years. Hien Thuc has learned the essence of simplicity and the art of phrasing Trinh’s lyrics. On “Vuon Xua,” she sings with just an acoustic strumming guitar courtesy of Tran Thanh Phuong. The spared, intimate accompaniment allows her to articulate Trinh’s words. “Ru Doi Da Mat” is another excellent track with minimal orchestration. The superb arrangement provides her the space to pour out her heart without hitting the high register.

“Goi Ten Bon Mua” is one of Trinh’s most covered tunes, but the new-age mix makes Hien Thuc’s version stands out. The blending of sixteen-stringed zither (dan tranh) melodic lines and subtle electric rhythm is so damn irresistible. The producer also weaved some traditional folk chords into the break. Arranger Huyen Trung has quite an ear for exotic sounds and lush strings. “De Gio Cuon Di” has an elegant, tasteful classical orchestration and the track would have been even better if she had performed the song solo rather than with Duc Tuan.

With effortless flow, classy arrangements and the ability to dig deeper into the lyrics, Hien Thuc has found her own voice in Trinh’s music rather than a duplication of Khanh Ly, Trinh Vinh Trinh or Hong Nhung. She definitely is bringing a fresh new air to the Trinh’s timeless tunes. If there is one thing Hien Thuc can to improve, it has to be her breath control.