What makes The Bright Mississippi a brilliant record is Allen Toussaint’s refined, rich reinterpretation of New Orleans standards. With a cast of all-star players including clarinetist Don Byron, trumpeter Nicholas Payton and guitarist Marc Ribot, Mr. Toussaint—who may be one of the best jazz pianists alive you have never heard of—revives classics like Louis Armstrong’s “West End Blues,” Duke Ellington’s “Day Dream” and Thelonious Monk’s “Bright Mississippi” by returning to the root. As a result, The Bright Mississippi sounds sweet, joyful and familiar on the surface, yet soulful, gentle and whimsical underneath. His pianistic approach is full of angularity and subtlety. Every time I listen to the opening riff on Sidney Bechet’s “Egyptian Fantasy,” particularly in this rendition, I wonder where Mr. Nguyen Van Thuong got his melody for “Dem Dong.”

Two of Thuy Nga’s biggest drama queens are back, obviously by popular demands. What makes Bang Kieu and Minh Tuyet a great match is their preference for infusing syrups into sugary puppy-love ballads. Diabetics are advised to stay away from their second-collaborated Mot Lan Nua Xin Co Nhau.

Right off the title track, the duet wastes no time baking up the Crème-Brûlée melodramas. “Ngay em rat can anh thi anh o dau? / Trien mien voi noi co don,” Minh Tuyet sings in her caramelized voice, and then Bang Kieu responses with, “Thoi gian da giup cho anh biet rang / Anh yeu em nhieu hon the.” They both soar on the chorus. Actually Bang Kieu is doing the soaring. Minh Tuyet is wise enough to not compete with his big-ass, feminine falsetto.

The title of Minh Tuyet’s solo “Loi Xin Loi Kho Co That Kho Noi” should tell you what the track is all about despite her low notes are barely audible. Bang Kieu closes out the album with “Mua Va Anh.” His effeminate emphasis on “mai” and “gio” will guarantee to get deep under your skin.

No matter who covers Nguyen Anh 9’s “Mua Thu Canh Nau,” Hong Hanh always comes to mind. She owns that track like Tuan Ngoc owns Ngo Thuy Mien’s “Rieng Mot Goc Troi,” Phuong Thanh owns Quoc Hung’s “Trong Vang,” and Quang Dung owns Dieu Huong’s “Vi Do La Em.” So when she rerecords the song in her latest release, Ngo Dau Tinh Da…!, she’s competing with herself. The new version still remains jazzy, but with a bit of funk groove added. Her delivery is softer and the huskiness is lost in her phrasing. Although it sounds refreshing, I still root for the good old bluesy rendition. It still intoxicates me every time.

In addition to “Mua Thu Canh Nau,” the new album features a handful of jazz-arranged numbers that match up quite well with Hong Hanh’s slightly gruff vocals. Her version of Trinh Cong Son’s “Nhin Nhung Mua Thu Di” is soothing, relaxing and perfect for quiet nights. While Nguyen Nam’s “Tinh Ca Cho Em” gets a gorgeous, Brazilian-inspired rhythm, Le Huu Ha’s “Huyen Thoai Nguoi Con Gai” gets to swing with a hypnotic walking bass at the bottom.

On Nguyen Huu Thiet’s “Yeu Nhau Di,” Hong Hanh pours her heart and soul out over the crisp strumming guitar. It’s a perfect album closer that leaves you yearning for more, especially with the way she whispers the last few words. Even though Ngo Dau Tinh Da…! is not a true jazz record, the subtle, understated approach makes it an intimate pleasure to enjoy.

Ladies, pour yourself a glass of Cosmo. Gentlemen, make yourself a glass of gin and tonic. Kick back with Ngoc Anh’s first U.S. release, Giet Nguoi Trong Mong, under Thuy Nga production, and I guarantee that you won’t kill each other. In fact, you will make luscious love to Ngoc Anh’s sultry voice paying homage to classic ballads.

Instead of reinventing familiar songs, she just lets her sexy timbre seduce you. Right off the opening title track, she makes you wish you were the one that she wanted to murder. If voice could kill, hers is a flying dagger straight to your heart. On Hoang Trong Thuy’s “Doan Khuc Cuoi Cho Em,” you could feel the quiet fire in her delivery and the warm intimacy in every breath she takes. She has no problem maneuvering her smoky, steamy vocals around Nguyen Anh 9’s bluesy “Mua Thu Canh Nau.”

It doesn’t hurt to have Tuan Ngoc and Bang Kieu show up next to her. Her duet with Bang Kieu on Do Le’s “Sang Ngang” is a better fit than with Tuan Ngoc on Hoang Thi Tho’s “Mot Lan Cuoi.” It would have been even better if Bang Kieu handled the female part and Ngoc Anh handled the male part, but that’s just me. Still, Giet Nguoi Trong Mong is a classic good taste that matches with a classy singer.

“A man ain’t cheat / A man ain’t me,” Gucci Mane declares on the Keyshia Cole-assisted “Bad Bad Bad.” What makes Gucci so damn entertaining is his sense of lyrical humor. On “Sex in Crazy Places” for instance, he raps: “Don’t compare me to your ex-man / Baby, he’s a local joker / I’ll take you to Six Flags / And drill you on the roller coaster.” In addition to his punch lines, Gucci’s gruff voice, effortless flow and wise choice for beats shine through on The State vs. Radric Davis. Listening to him gets “Stupid Wild” along with Weezy and Killa Cam is a pleasure. Still the most inventive track is the opening “Classical.” Backing up by operatic vocals chanting his name, he shows off his fluid flow over the savory Southern beat sprinkled with classical piano on top.

The last time I listened to Nhat Ha was about a decade ago. Back then I was more interested in her look than her singing. Has her voice always sounded slightly raspy or has time given her timbre some textures? Her dark, lush vocals particularly soar through in Quoc Dung’s “Trai Tim Toi Loi,” a mesmerizing track off her new record Nhu Chut Nang Hu Hao. She sings like a woman who has been through pain, love and lust as she curls her voice like smoke around the decent orchestration.

When covering well-know ballads, Nhat Ha sings with maturity and appreciation for the lyrics. On Le Uyen Phuong’s “Vung Lay Cua Hai Chung Ta,” her flow is mellow and her emotion is fragile yet poignant. On Lam Phuong’s “Mot Minh,” she could bring out the lonely sentiment of the song. When it comes to her own tunes, co-written with Huynh Thai Binh, Nhat Ha is no less impressive. The title track is slow, bittersweet and soothing as she takes her time to convey her personal lyricism. Her “Xa Cach” is gorgeously delivered by Tuan Ngoc whose unmatchable phrasing over Duy Cuong’s unmistakable arrangement brings the song to a higher level.

Duc Tuan and Quang Minh also appeared in the album, but Nhat Ha is still the main attraction. She closes out the record with a sensational cover of Pham Duy’s “Phuong Yeu” showing off her versatility in interpreting other people work as well as expression her own. Now I am more interested in her song choice than her look, but I must say she’s aging pretty well based on the album cover.

To fully express Vietnamese sentimental ballads, a vocalist has to reach the ripeness of the lyrics. She has to sing like she lives it. Tam Doan has been covering lyrical standards throughout her career, yet her latest release, Sau Le Bong, is as plain as yesterday’s cold white congee. Her version of Lam Phuong’s “Giot Le Sau” lacks the despondency and Song Ngoc’s “Xin Goi Nhau La Co Nhan” lacks the soul-stirring despair from the older generation. Maybe she was trying to refrain herself by staying in the low register, but you can never go over sentimental on over-sentimental music.

Sure Susan Boyle stunned the audiences and the judges on Britain’s Got Talent with her gorgeous soprano and palpable phrasing. She can take a song and sing her heart out, but Ms Boyle is no interpreter. The twelve tracks on her her debut, I Dreamed a Dream, are the proof. From “Cry Me a River” to “Silent Night,” she never escapes the melodies. She is predictable on most string-orchestrated standards and gospel songs with the exception of “The End of the World.” Although her delivery is faithful, the simple strumming guitar allows her voice to carry the sentiment of the tune.

“Open up your legs, girl / I wanna kiss you in your private part,” Mr. sexpert R. Kelly seduces with his authoritative baritone on “Whole Lotta Kisses.” When it comes to sex, Kelly doesn’t afraid to “Go Low” and say how he feels: “For instance, you look like food, I wanna put you on my plate / Suck you up with some biscuits and go on and eat you baby / Up until you make it rain, grab my ears and pull my face / Tonight I’ll be giving you brain.” As he claims on “Like I Do,” there’s only two things that he is best at in this world: music and rock your body. From the club to the bedrooms, Kelly sure lives up to his words. Untitled is another one of Kelly’s “sex sessions.”

In Historicity, jazz-piano virtuoso Vijay Iyer along with bassist Stephan Crump and drummer Marcus Gilmore rework, reconstruct and re-imagine a wide range of repertoire as well as the leader’s original compositions. The trio’s cover of M.I.A.’s “Galang” is an ingenious work of reinterpretation. Iyer flows his jagged melodic lines like Rakim rhyming over hip-hop hard-hitting beat. “Somewhere” is another masterpiece, in which the group completely revived Leonard Bernstein’s classic track from West Side Story with its own reharmonization and unconventional approach. When it comes to Iyer’s original pieces, such as the title track and “Helix,” the band is no less inventive in rhythmic and hormonic structures. Historicity is an artistic statement that sneaks listeners into an uncharted yet accessible territory. A must experience.