Mai Hoa has a husky contralto that is reminiscent of Le Thu without the pitch issues. In Duong Cam, she covers eight extremely well-known ballads like “Le Da,” “Thu Quyen Ru” and “Hoai Cam.” Mai Hoa brings nothing new to these tunes other than her distinctive voice. As a result, the album becomes boring and predictable by the third track. With such dark, hypnotic vocals, she could do much more than that such as turning these songs into soulful blues rendition.
Last year before Christmas, I was at Lang Van music store in Eden Center looking for some Vietnamese children DVDs for my son and overheard a guy who was at least my age or older eagerly asking the saleslady for Minh Tuyet’s latest album. With excitement, he told her that Minh Tuyet’s newest album should have been released on that day. He appeared to be disappointed when the lady told him that the album was not in store yet.
Over the weekend, my in-laws took a road trip to Foxwoods Casino. I played Minh Tuyet’s Xin Loi Anh in the car and my sister-in-law’s husband who came to the U.S. when he was two and could only understand limited Vietnamese commented on the title opening track, “It sounds like a perfect Chinese pop song.” In one sentence, he basically summed up Minh Tuyet’s collection of bubble gum duets that comes with many artificial flavors ranging from sour (Bang Kieu) to tender (Tran Thai Hoa) to everything in between. They complement well with Minh Tuyet’s sweetener vocals.
From the pure-Chinese “Du Am Tinh Ta” (featuring Trinh Lam) to bittersweet-ballad “Vi Ngot Doi Moi” (featuring The Son) to the over-sentimental “Bai Ca Ky Niem” (featuring Quang Le), Xin Loi Anh is the bubble gum du jour. The melodies are catchy and the story lines are shallow enough for everyone to get hooked. Minh Tuyet is indeed a bubble gum pop queen with a long-lasting flavor.
Pianist Vijay Iyer brings his solo chops to a variety of compositions ranging from Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Michael Jackson as well as his own. Solo kicks off with an elegant rendition of the King of Pop’s “Human Nature.” By taking an opposite direction Monk’s spacious approach, Iyer completely reworks “Epistrophe” with his blazing harmonization. With “Black & Tan Fantasy,” he stays close Ellington’s left-hand stride, but creates some soulful blues melodies with his right hand. “Patterns,” which starts off gentle then progresses into swells of notes, reveals Iyer’s very own compelling style. Solo, as a result, showcases both Iyer’s versatility and personality.
Guitarist Marc Ribot is a minimalist master. In Silent Movies, he makes every note counts. What causes his solo guitar so damn intoxicating is that he picks only the most telling notes and yet manages to squeeze tremendous emotion out of a single string at a time. The opening “Variation 1” and “Empty” are exemplary examples of Ribot’s spare technique. The setting is so closed and intimate that you get the feeling he is playing right in front of you in a dimmed room. From the striking, finger-picking rhythm on “Delancey Waltz” to the gorgeous, distorted glides on “Natalia In E-Bemol Major” to the beautiful ambient vibe on “Postcard From N.Y.,” Silent Movies is a must-listen if you’re in the mood for some pure, atmospheric, melodic and cinematic soundscapes.
“I’m 74 years young, there’s nothing I haven’t done,” blues legend Buddy Guy begins on the opening track of Living Proof before he rips through a frantic, attacking guitar solo that sounds like he’s 21. While “Thank Me Someday” brings back his childhood memory when he drove his family insane with his guitar playing, “Stay Around A Little Longer” displays a soulful duet with B.B. King. Carlos Santana also shows up on “Where The Blues Begins” for some Latin flavor. With a hell of a voice backing by some mean guitar riffs, Mr. Guy is indeed a Living Proof for a bluesman.
Norah Jones sure gets around. Who could resist that soulful, sensual voice of her? Even musicians want a piece of Norah Jones. A compilation of 18 tracks …Featuring Norah Jones showcases her collaborations with a wide range of artists from jazz to country to blues to hip-hop. Whether trading bars with Willie Nelson on “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” supporting Q-Tip on “Life is Better,” “Creepin’ In” with Dolly Parton, mourning next to Ryan Adams on “Dear John,” or “Taking Off [Her] Cool” with André 3000, Norah Jones remains at ease, which allows her smoky timbre to lend its way into the duets. Throughout Featuring, what makes Norah Jones a great partner is that she stands out and blends in at the same time.
The Romantic Kelly finally reveals in Love Letter. On the soulful “When a Woman Loves,” R. Kelly pours his heart out as if he recognizes the power of love and not just sex. R. Kelly has been known for his use of in-your-face sexual metaphors in the past, but on the string-ladden “Music Must Be a Lady,” his choice of comparisons are much more elegant: “Music, hello sweet soprano, Miss Music / I want you to meet Mister Tenor.” R. Kelly pays tribute to Michael Jackson with a heartfelt rendition of “You Are Not Alone,” a phenomenal hit he wrote for MJ in 1995. With sweet, sensual, sentimental ballads, Love Letter takes a break from R. Kelly’s freaky business to bring listeners back to the great old souls like Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, Sam Cooke and Frankie Lymon.
Before T.I. could release King Uncaged, he was caged again for another eleven months on a parole violation. Although the album has been changed to No Mercy, some of his deep thoughts are about redemption. On “Get Back Up,” he offers his “apologies to [his] fans and [his] closest friends / I’m sorry for letting you down, I won’t take you down this road again.” As much as he tries to sound sincere, the track turns out to be irrelevant for the obvious reason: T.I. has done some dumb shit again.
No Mercy offers some softer sides of T.I., but with half-assed delivery. He is at his best when he talks shit. He rips through “I Can’t Help It” with his virtuosic swag about getting money. “Amazing” is a compelling track that laced with some of the most pornographic rhymes ever: “Turn her to a dick monster, nut muncher / sperm cum dumpster, left amongst her / Bitches in the past, pretty titties, plenty ass / they just drink up what we give them / Take shots without any glass / fuck her in the face till it fall off her till she gas, gas, gas.” Sure, his misogynistic lyricisms sound so wrong on many levels, but his flow is just too damn incredible.
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.
I was at Barnes & Noble this morning for some last minute holiday shopping and overheard a Puppinized rendition of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas.” I headed over to the music department and treated myself a copy of Christmas With The Puppini Sisters. Right off the opening track, the Sisters “Step Into Christmas” with a joyful, up-swinging tempo. Then “Santa Baby” gets a Puppini’s soulful, sexy makeover. While “White Christmas” gets into the cold, winter spirit, “Mela Kalikimaka” gets a sunshine season’s greeting from the land where palm trees sway. “Holy Night” closes out the whimsical album with the Sister’s wonderful harmonized vocalization.