Only two months after Mua Re Ruc Ro 2004 released, Asia followed up with their latest effort My Nhan Ngu video just in time for the holidays. I am thrilled that they could pull it off but I am not so surprised at all by the poor quality. Obviously, Asia throw something together quickly to make a few extra bucks for the holidays.

Stealing off My Le’s vol.3 album title, My Nhan Ngu is the lamest theme Asia have ever come up with. Even the MCs don’t have anything to tell so they make a few corny jokes and introduce the video quickly (sometimes it works but not in this case). That’s why Asia hired Trinh Hoi, lawyer turns MC, for some silly interactions with the female singers. Asia also featured Do Thanh Xuan, model turns MC, offers nothing but a new face on screen.

The performances are horrible and Asia recycle the same old songs over again. They need to retired those translated songs including “Tuyet Roi,” “Vien Du Mua Xuan,” and the Boney M’s. On the “Lien Khuc Boney M” I didn’t even hear Cardin’s voice. He was there for the Puriti’s choreography. Even Nguyen Khang’s “Loi Thu Toi” performance puts me to sleep. He needs to take that “bling bling” off his ear. He looks ridiculous with an earing on. Shayla needs to put on some clothes until she looses that gut.

On the bright side, I a glad to see Don Ho joins Asia and teaming up with Lam Thuy Van once again. He has been on the down low for a while. Hope to see him make a come back on Asia’s stage.

Beside Thanh Truc’s cleavage (did she get a boob job?), nothing is exciting in Asia 45. I can’t see any other reasons to put out such a trivial work beside cashing in some quick dollars for the holidays. Come on Asia! Stop wasting folks’ money.

To appreciate Cam’Ron’s Purple Haze, one must look pass the lyrical contents. As much as I detest his “we don’t love them hoes” attitude toward women, I must give him props for crafting a luminous album. His flow is simple but pushes the beats, and the beats are blazing. He is a minimalist and his rhyme schemes are minimal, yet playful. He uses the artfully constructed style throughout the album. Beside his distinctive charisma, Killa Cam’s delivery stands out as well. He spits each word clearly and naturally. Even while he switches his flow on “Adrenaline” with Twista and Psycho Drama, his verse is still as clear as crystal when he speeds up or slows down.

When rocking Purple Haze, I tune in for the aesthetic experience. I enjoy the beautiful production, the rhyming skills, and the artistic vision, but leave the artist’s intention behind. Despite his disgusting lyrics, “Get ‘Em Girl,” “Shake,” “Hey Lady,” and “Girls” (sampling Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Fun”) are straight banging. I am sure the ladies wouldn’t care what he says when they back their “thangs” up in the club. When I talk about the aesthetic experience, I mean to separate the work of art from my personal interpretation. It’s hard to do with rap, especially with an album like Purple Haze, because of its aggressive sexual lyrics; however, it could be done. “Leave Me Alone Pt.2,” for instance, Cam’s flow chops through the melody forcefully while the violin saws away the beats.

With more highlights including “Get Down,” “Killa Cam,” “Down And Out,” Purple Haze is an even album that could be play from start to finish without interruption. Not only the skits do not distracted the flow but also help to give the album a few pauses between 20 tracks. Big up to Killa Cam!

True to her name, Hong Nhung is the “Velvet Rose” of the Vietnamese entertainment garden. Her natural singing seduces me. The more I listen, the more hooked I get. From Thuo Bong La Nguoi, to Doan Khuc Thu Ha Noi, and now Bai Hat Ru Cho Anh, she lends new vibes to the works with her gifted talent.

Bai Hat Ru Cho Anh marks an astonishing chemistry between the skillful performer, Hong Nhung, and the expansive writer, Duong Thu. While Duong Thu’s distinctive style find its way into the listener’s heart, Hong Nhung helps breathe fresh air into his compositions. The sensational flute on the title track “Bai Hat Ru Cho Anh” provides a silky-smooth tempo as Hong Nhung cascades her emotional vocals into the lullaby. “Bay Vao Ngay Xanh” is a rare groove with mellow vibes. The best part is near the end of the song where the jazz tune kicks in as she hums to the melody. Together they produce an exotic new sound.

Hong Nhung’s elegant style is both successful when she reaches the high notes effortlessly on “Danh Thuc Tam Xuan” or embraces the low keys perfectly on “Van Hat Loi Tinh Yeu.” Her handling of the words (crescendo and decrescendo) is both skillful and striking. Furthermore, she shows tremendous variations in her style as she proves her ability to perform modern folk on “Thang Tu Ve” as well as up-tempos on “Mat Troi Diu Em” and “Nghe Mua.”

While many singers advance their vocals by learning and practicing, a few are blessed with natural ability. Hong Nhung is among those few who can just pick up a note and flow naturally. The opening track “Cua So Mua Dong” demonstrates distinctive talent of her as she weaves her soul into the track.

I usually don’t feel Bang Kieu’s singing, but he gives a great duet performance with Hong Nhung on “Lang Nghe Mua Xuan Ve.” However, I would prefer Hong Nhung’s solo performance on “Tieng Song” over the collaboration with Bang Kieu. I am glad that she performs English versions of Vietnamese songs instead the other way around, which many new Vietnamese singers do, even though her English has flaws. If she was trained to pronounce the words correctly, she would have done a fantastic job in English just like what she has done in Vietnamese.

Hong Nhung has once again delivered a solid album. Duong Thu compositions match her styles marvelously and the musical arrangements are beautifully structured. Her expertise is the vision to craft an album that leaves little or no room for wasted space. It’s an element that separates great singers from popular singers since not too many performers can construct a solid album, yet Hong Nhung does it with almost every release.

Why a double album loads with boring fillers instead of one solid LP? Street’s Disciple contains enough songs for one disk but not two. Nas needs to drop half dozens of the boring tracks that serve nothing but interrupt the experience. In contrast, why didn’t “Serious” featuring AZ make it to the album? It’s a beautiful teamwork joint.

Nas is undoubtedly a talented lyricist. His rhymes are as sharp as always. On “A Message to the Feds, Sincerely, We the People,” the beat hits hard, Nas spits harder, especially when he switches up his flow on the second verse. “Nazareth” and “American Way” continue to bring the noise with his lyrical skills. On “These Are Our Heroes” and “Disciple,” he flow fearlessly on the beats. “Sekou Story” has a cool funk vibe that blends in with Nas’s smooth delivery; however, I would prefer AZ instead of Scarlett on Nas’s collaboration. Speaking of joint effort, Nas and his pop (Olu Dara) surely are “Bridging the Gap” between blue and hip-hop. “Street’s Disciple” is another beautiful work between father and son. Nas has done a clever job of telling Rakim’s life/rap story on “U.R.B.” Can’t wait to hear the unauthorized biography of KRS-1. “War” is another fine flow and literal lyrics from Nas. The descriptive lyrical content on “Thief’s Theme” establishes his incisive mind.

With a handful of hot tracks, Nas proves to have something that everyone still wants to hear even he has been in the game for more than 10 years. Street’s Disciple, once again, demonstrates his highly literate street aesthetics. Although the double album wastes some spaces, it is still worth purchasing.

Tinh Music are having a tough time moving forward with their 12th video even though they had spent a year in production. The success of their previous video (Tinh 11) has raised the bar in creating Vietnamese MTV. They have move beyond pasting performers on the scenes, which no one cares to watch. I have seen many of these boring karaoke-like videos in the past and recently from Blue Ocean Music.

Tinh Production have improved their cinematography with beautiful settings and computer generated effects. With the opening “Lien Khuc Cha Cha Cha,” the beats are fresh; the chics are hot (especially Minh Tuyet and Ha Vy); and the special effects are edgy. Minh Tuyet did it again with an emotional performance on “Dau Co Muon Mang.” Phi Nhung’s “Ao Xanh” is the best video on the entire DVD. Her singing is good but the little girl’s performance is exceptional. The story behind “Ao Xanh” based on Phi Nhung’s childhood drama when a car accident killed her mother. The little girl is so convincing and she has some characteristics that resembling Phi Nhung. Props to the director for casting a perfect character. Truong Vu’s “Lien Khuc Con Nho Nguoi Yeu” is another well-crafted video with a plot. We all know about the trend of marrying the girls in Vietnam and the divorcing 3 years later after she gets her Green card. It’s the kind of story that we can relate to. Beside the performances mentioned, the rest are from average to straight boring.

Even though the cinematography has improved tremendously (the gorgeous filming on Diem Lien’s “Vang Toc Roi”), the lacking of storyline behind the video is a major drawback on Tinh 12. The filming is beautiful but viewers will get tired of it if there is nothing to draw them in. The music arrangements are fresh but Tinh productions are still recycling too many old songs. The comedy skits are tedious and the hosts (Minh Nhi and Phi Nhung) are hideous. What were they thinking? Putting Phi Nhung on the hosting spot? She is cute and all but doesn’t have the talking skill. Que Huong Tinh Yeu va Tuoi Tre 12 is a huge disappointment.

On the first encountering of Hong Nhung’s performance in Trinh Cong Son’s “Nho Mua Thu Ha Noi (Recollection of Ha Noi’s Fall),” I had a feeling that she would do well on any song that is relating to the lovely Ha Noi capital. After many hours of searching through the old CD piles from three different Vietnamese music stores in Philly, I found Doan Khuc Mua Thu Ha Noi, Hong Nhung’s debut album featuring 10 songs written about Ha Noi. As I had predicted, Hong Nhung performances were exceptional and I was hooked on the album.

Although I was not borned and raised in Ha Noi, I could imagine its attractiveness qualities through Hong Nhung’s emotional vocals and the writers’ descriptive lyrics. Her natural delivery is the key success in these performances. Her voice sounds simple on the outer surface but packs with deep emotionalism down inside. From Hoang Hiep’s “Nho Ve Ha Noi (Remember Ha Noi)” to Hoang Duong’s “Huong Ve Ha Noi (Toward Ha Noi)” to Duong Thu’s “Mong Ve Ha Noi (Desire Ha Noi),” she takes listeners on a tour of Ha Noi along the gorgeous Ho Tay river, passing the green tree-lined streets, breathing the fresh scent of the buddings’ cream (Hoa Sua), and feeling the gentle breezes of Ha Noi’s autumn.

Elsewhere she blows new vibes into Trong Dai’s “Ha Noi Dem Tro Gio (A Windy Night in Ha Noi),” Truong Quy Hai’s “Ha Noi Mua Nhung Con Mua (Missing Rains of Ha Noi),” Tran Thu’s “Chieu Ho Guom (Evening of Ho Guom),” Phu Quang’s “Em Oi Ha Noi Pho (My Dear! Ha Noi City),” and Trinh Cong Son’s “Doan Khuc Thu Ha Noi (The Symphony of Ha Noi’s Fall).” She has done a fantastic job of expressing and renewing the writers’ poetic lyrics. Even with Doan Chuan and Tu Linh’s “Gui Nguoi Em Gai (To the Girl Going South), Hong Nhung comes close to Tuan Ngoc’s untouchable performance with her unique style.

Doan Khuc Thu Ha Noi is perfect in every aspect. The theme, the lyrics, the performances, and the musical productions are flawless. It’s rare to see such a cohesive collection where every track carries its own weight and the scale would tip if a song were left out. Much love and respect to Hong Nhung for this precious work of art.

I saw great potential in Nguyen Khang when I first spotted him on various Asia and Van Son videos. His thicken texture timbres caught my attention. While I was impressed by his mature handling of Trinh’s materials on 10 Tuyet Khuc Trinh Cong Son, I was disappointed with the boxset Trai Tim Ben Le, where he performed mostly radio-friendly and Chinese-translated songs. I didn’t hold anything against him since the boxset released under Bien Tinh Music. I assumed that he did not have much control over the production as a young artist who tried to break into the industry. Beside, the credit on the back of the boxset stated that Hoang Ha Thu was responsible for the selection of the songs. Now that he got his foot in the door, made a strong stand for himself in the Vietnamese entertainment industry, and even launched his own record label, is he successful in crafting his own works?

Cung La Tram Nam is his debut album under Nguyen Khang Production. Although it is a decent work, not every song fits his vocals. Only Anh Tai’s “Tinh Mai Ngu Ngo” and Phu Quang’s “Ha Noi Ngay Tro Ve” allow his powerful voice to excel. The invigorating musical arrangement combines with his warm tones provide “Bien Can” a refreshing flavor.

Let’s skip all the translated songs but I would like to briefly mention, “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word,” a track that could have been a fantastic experiment if he performs solo. Tuan Dung and Nguyen Khuong (his brother?) could not hold up to his authoritative vocals, which ends up ruined the track. Otherwise, the way he deepened his voice produced an enticing tune. The thick, heavy, and rich qualities make up for his imperfect English. Unfortunately, when his voice doesn’t reach its peak, he sounds dull even with the duet with Diem Lien on Quoc Vuong’s “Hay Noi Voi Em.”

His follow up album, Coi Mua, is much improved from the previous. He is wiser on choosing tracks that he could fully express. With the help from Duy Cuong, Nguyen Khang reaches deep into the desperation of Trinh Cong Son’s “Toi Oi, Dung Tuyet Vong.” He flows gorgeously into the title track “Coi Mua” written by Le Tran Hoang. Furthermore, Cat Tien’s sexiness reading and Cadillac’s soulful background vocals enhances the experience significantly. He rises and falls with full of passion on Nguyen Anh 9’s “Co Don.” Elsewhere, his deliveries are unblemished on Vinh Phuoc’s “Le Tinh Roi,” Vu Tuan Duc’s “Toi Khong Con Yeu Em,” Pham Duy’s “Duong Em Di,” and of course Trinh Cong Son’s “Tuoi Da Buon.”

While Dong Son gives a beautiful composition on Duc Huy’s “Nhu Da Dau Yeu,” Nguyen Khang could not bypassed Don Ho’s performance. Though his version is not bad, Don Ho injects so much soul into the work that it is hard for other singers to even come close to. “Lac Mat Mua Xuan” (a translated song by Lu Lien) is overrated. Too many singers covered it including Dam Vinh Hung. Though I must give credit to Duc Trinh for the nice beats.

Just from listening to these two albums, Nguyen Khang has definitely progressed himself. Within a short period, he has paved his own path for his singing career. Though he has made substantial accomplishments, there are still plenty of rooms for advancement. Let’s hope that he will continue to expand his artistic vision and push himself to a higher ground.

Since I have been banging these two albums constantly while designing, I want to share with those who have not experienced them. Like Quentin Tarantino, music plays an important part of my work, especially when I need visual inspirations. These two soundtracks are responsible for fueling much creativity into my design.

When I need to produce something hip, edgy, and playful, Kill Bill Vol.1 is a perfect choice because the album fills with adrenaline rushes. Whether you jam it from start to finish or in any random order, the wonderful mix of tunes will guarantee to color your mind with bright and beautiful images. With a diverse range from Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” to Tomoyasu Hotei’s “Battle Without Honor or Humanity” to Luis Bacalov’s “The Grand Duel – (Parte Prima)” to Rza’s “Ode to Oren Ishii” to Meiko Kaji’s “The Flower of Carnage,” make sure you fastened up your seatbelt for a psychological ride.

Unlike Vol.1, Kill Bill Vol.2 is much more subtle which is great when I need to create something calm and elegant. Shivaree’s “Goodnight Moon” kicks off the album with a beautiful lightweight melody. Ennio Morricone contributed some mesmerizing musical scores such as “L’Arena,” “A Silhouette of Doom,” and “Il Tramonto.” Johnny Cash’s vocals are so convincing on the lyrical inspiration of Rhodes and Hayes’s “A Satisfied Mind.” A verse like this, “Money can’t buy back your youth when you’re old / Or a friend when you’re lonely, or a love that’s grown cold / The wealthiest person is a pauper at times / Compared to the man with a satisfied mind,” reminds me how important it is to live a simple and happy life instead of chasing and dreaming for fortune and fame. The last hidden track by The RZA featuring Ol’ Dirty Bastard is a nice little bonus. Speaking of ODB, his death is a great lost for the Wu Tang Clan as well as the Hip Hop community. His eccentric rhyming skills and his wild persona will always be remembered.

Even if you don’t like Tarantino’s films, the soundtracks are exquisite. He is among a few filmmakers who have great taste in music. I dig his films and love his soundtracks. I usually don’t spend money on soundtracks but Kill Bill and The Matrix are the only exceptions. I have used countless loops from The Matrix in the past for my motion projects, and I recently applied a few scores from Kill Bill Vol.1 to my works including the Vassar’s slideshow. I have nothing to loose and much to gain from these albums.

Thang Bay Chua Mua is another savory album from the “Vietnamese Frank Sinatra” Tuan Ngoc. Of course, one of the advantages of owning his record label (Bich Thu Van) is the total control of the production. He crafts his album to live up to his selected audience’s expectations. Each song has been carefully chosen to suit his captivating performances. Along with Duy Cuong’s gorgeous musical arrangement, Tuan Ngoc and his special guests (Quynh Giao, Thai Hien, and Le Thu) sway the listeners into an intimate atmosphere.

Unlike popular albums, where they get stale after several run through, Thang Bay Chua Mua increases the aesthetic experience each time I listen to it, especially the remarkable “Goi Nguoi Em Gai” by Doan Chuan and Tu Linh where his vocals ride marvelously with the melody. His polished technique is most effective on the immaculately smooth “Hung Ho” and the sensual composition of Pham Duy’s “Mong Du.”

From the title track of Pham Anh Dung’s “Thang Bay Chua Mua” to Pham Duy’s “Ky Niem” to Dao Duy’s “Dieu Buon” to Hoang Trong Thuy’s “Nguoi Nhu Co Quen,” Tuan Ngoc never leaves his listeners in doubt with his exceptional executions whether from the way he holds a note or drops a word.

While Quynh Giao, Thai Hien, and Le Thu added some elegant voices to the work, their solo performances seem out of place. Their special appearances would leave a deeper impact if each did a duet with Tuan Ngoc.

Thang Bay Chua Mua is consistently good. It meets my expectation even though I do expect high quality works. A fan of Tuan Ngoc should not allow this album to slip by.

Eminem’s forth album Encore fails me. What happen to the dramatic descriptive rhymes and the powerful wordplays?

Encore is not what I have expected from a lyricist Eminem even though the first quarter of the album from “Evil Deeds” to “Mosh,” he sounds sharpened, refined, and matured. “Never Enough” is a beautiful collaboration with 50 and Nate Dogg. His delivery on “Yellow Brick Road” is both persuasive and apologetic as he recites his side of story about disrespecting Black women on a tape he did back in 89. He proves to have grown-up by handling the beef with Ja Rule and Benzino with a mellowness tone on “Like Toys Soldiers.” Of course, the infamous “Mosh,” where Em takes his political stand against Bush, is both motivating and inspiring despite the outcome of the election.

Unfortunately, as soon as he throws up and flushes the toilet on “Puke,” the rest of the album goes down the same path as well. On “My 1st Single,” the beat is hot and his flow is tight but his singing, burping, and shitting just ruins it. Although “Mockingbird” is lyrically inspiring as he tries to explain to Hailie about her mother’s situation, Em’s premature vocals damage the chorus. He needs to stop singing because his voice is infuriating.

Eminem should have crafted his album better by taking out some of the ridiculous tracks. It’s hard to make every song counts with 20 tracks (including 3 skits). It seems as if his materials have run dry from living in a mansion instead of a trailer for the past few years. His topics have become staled with dissing his ex-wife (“Puke”) and women (“Spend Some Time”).