When putting Jay-Z and R. Kelly together, you get the best of both worlds but I am not talking about Hip-Hop and R&B here. Featuring on Cu Tuong Con Trong Tay / Bac Tinh are two of the most famous Vietnamese singers with two completely different styles. While Tuan Ngoc is popular for ballads, Che Linh is well known for music on war and “Nhac Tru Tinh.” Van Son production probably try to kill two birds with one stone on this album but the outcome isn’t what they have expected.

I must admit, Van Son production are clever when they set the “Lien Khuc” with Che Linh and Tuan Ngoc switch styles. Both do a convincing performance but to go as far as creating an album together is a big mistake. Che Linh style doesn’t fit Ngo Thuy Mien’s “Rieng Mot Goc Troi,” “Ban Tinh Cuoi,” and “Dau Tinh Sau.” He couldn’t even pull off Truong Sa’s “Xin Con Goi Ten Nhau.” These songs suit more for Tuan Ngoc’s techniques. “Cu Tuong Con Trong Tay” is the only song Che Linh gives a flawless performance because it fits him perfectly.

Fortunately, Tuan Ngoc does not switch styles on his part. Once again his amazing vocals have applied on Huynh Nhat Tan’s “Bac Tinh,” “Hon Doi,” and “Ngo Ngang.” I just love the way he starts off “Bac Tinh” with confident and power. The band also does a fantastic job of captivating the beauty of the song. On “Hon Doi,” he goes sentimental and his skillful manipulation on “Hon doi, thoi em dung hon doi…” is soothing and mesmerizing. “Ngo Ngang” is equally enchanting as well. Although “Linh Hon Tuong Da” is well done by Tuan Ngoc, the song is more suitable for Che Linh. I guess Tuan Ngoc is switching his style on this one.

Van Son production should have produced two separate albums for Tuan Ngoc and Che Linh instead of grouping them together. They would have made more sells that way. Before even purchasing the album, I was debating whether to get it or not since I could predict it is an uneven album. Not that I am disrespecting Che Linh but these songs aren’t his strongest effort. Even though I expect far more, I still glad I copped the album. Tuan Ngoc’s part alone is worth the price of the CD.

“Co nhieu quy vi khang da cho minh cai quyen qua lon khi viet thu cho chung toi… Chung toi thay quy vi di qua xa roi day.” -Nguyen Ngoc Ngan.

Basically, what Nguyen Ngoc Ngan and Thuy Nga production said is that who do you [consumers] think you are? If you don’t like what we put out, go watch Asia, Van Son, Tinh or other productions. We don’t need you to tell us what to do.

What an insult. Are they forgetting the phrase, “customers always right?” Even if the audiences’ suggestions are invalid, they are still suggestions. They can just toss them out and not take them into consideration. They don’t have to publicly humiliating the viewers like that. It’s just inappropriate. What even worse is that Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen just stands there with the smirk on her fake face and notting her head to everything Nguyen Ngoc Ngan said. What would you feel if you were the one wrote the comment?

What is up with the double standards? Thuy Nga production kick you in your nuts with statements similar to above than turn around kiss your ass with the begging of buying their original products. As much as I respect Huynh Anh, Nguyen Hien, and Song Ngoc, I will not support their work through Thuy Nga. So if you haven’t seen Paris by Night 74, save your money for other productions who respect and value their viewers.

Out of all her solo albums Ngọc Lan recorded for Mây productions—from Ngọc Lan 4: Tình Xanh to Ngọc Lan 10: Hạnh Phúc Nơi Nào—Ngọc Lan 5: Tình Gần remains my personal favorite to this day. With 12 exceptional recordings, Ngọc Lan perfected the art of creating a cohesive experience from start to finish. Just pop in the album and let Ngọc Lan lead the way.

When she flowed, “Em như một nụ hồng / Cầu mong chẳng lạnh lùng,” you felt the sad beauty in Ngô Thụy Miên’s “Tình Khúc Buồn.” When she declared, “Với em, anh mãi là người tình trăm năm,” you wished you were her lover in Đức Huy’s “Người Tình Trăm Năm.” When she confessed, “Buồn vương màu áo hồng / Nước mắt theo em đi về với chồng,” you tasted her tears in Nguyễn Ngọc Trọng’s “Buồn Vương Màu Áo.” When she confronted, “Anh bên người xa lạ / Anh quên lời hẹn thề / Cho em xót xa,” you felt her pain in Đỗ Cung La’s “Dù Tình Yêu Đã Mất.”

From “Chiều Một Mình Qua Phố” to “Rồi Như Đá Ngây Ngô” to “Hạ Trắng,” Ngọc Lan got us hanging on Trịnh Công Sơn’s every word. In “Để Quên Con Tim” and “Tiếng Mưa Đêm,” Ngọc Lan’s soft, sweet vocals brought the cool, breezy vibes to Đức Huy’s easy-listening lyrics. She gave a touching rendition of Trầm Tử Thiêng’s “Mười Năm Yêu Em” as well as Vũ Thành An’s “Bài Không Tên số 2 & 3” and “Bài Không Tên số 7.”

Ngọc Lan’s vocals were mesmerizing and her song choices were excellent, but “Tình Gần” wouldn’t be complete without the outstanding productions, and saxophonist Thanh Lâm played the key role in the album success. From his orchestrations, particularly the staccato strings in “Người Tình Trăm Năm,” to his arrangements, noticeably the rhythm section in “Mười Năm Yêu Em”, to his sax solos, which appeared on almost every track, his contributions to the album were remarkable. His music direction shaped the cohesiveness of the album.

There were intriguing debates in iLoveNgocLan.com on how Ngọc Lan came up with Tình Gần for the album title. Someone said that, the title derived from a line in Ngô Thụy Miên’s “Tình Khúc Buồn,” which was, “Sao chưa gặp một lần mà nghe tình thật gần.” The theory seemed convincing, but I have a different take. “Tình Gần” can be translated as “Close Love” or “Intimate Love” (my preference). If you look at all of the albums she released under Mây Productions, Tình Gần was the only one that she covered songs written by Vietnamese songwriters. In other albums, she covered a mix of Vietnamese, French, and American ballads; therefore, Tình Gần hit closest to home.

Updated June 30, 2022

My Le‘s vocals have improved tremendously, noticeably her breathless skills, on My Nhan Ngu; however, I am disappointed with her songs selections on this album. Her voice is powerful and beautiful, but most of the songs on the album do not bring out her charismas or vice versa.

Nevertheless, My Le and her musicians have successfully restyled Duc Huy’s “Va Con Tim Da Vui Tro Lai” by giving it a fresh new vibe. The song is brilliantly produced with the combination of My Le’s energetic vocals and the band’s vivacious harmonies. Although I have heard so many versions of Trinh Cong Son’s “Ru Em Tung Ngon Xuan Nong,” My Le’s version stands on its own because of her liveliness and forcefulness performance.

My Le’s version of “Ngay Xua Tieng Vi Cam” is nice and soothing with a gorgeous touch from the violin. I am not too crazy about “Tieng Song” but it has a nice upbeat to it. “Mot Ngay Mua Dong” also has the smooth up-tempo but Ha Okyo kills it with his Vietnamese rapping, especially with his Northern accent and his Wycleff imitation, “One time… two time.”

Even though My Nhan Ngu is not a perfect album, it is still enjoyable. I wish My Le had chosen her music more wisely like she did on the first two volumes. In any case, she is making progress with each new album. She is an imaginative artist who deserves some recognition.

Johnny Dung has been in the Vietnamese entertainment business for years; therefore, there is no reason for him to put out such a hopeless debute music video. You can’t just go to Hawaii, slap the singers on the scenes, and call it music video. Furthermore, the cinematography is poorly produced and the digital imaging behind Ha Vy and Cat Ly performances are way too amateur.

What is Johnny Dung thinking? He tries to follow Tinh production’s footsteps, but fails miserably. Each of Tinh’s song is well produced with some sort of plot behind it to keep viewers tuned in. With JD’s video, I just get tired of looking at the singer and the scenes after less than a minute into the song. There is no innovative or creative input into the work.

The musical arrangements aren’t so bad because of the talented musicians such as Dong Son, Nhat Trung, Huynh Nhat Tan, DJ Slim and others who put on some creative mix behind the scene. Since this is there strong point, JD production should focus on producing CDs first. After gathering enough cash flow then invest in producing high quality video. Because there are so many productions out there right now and the viewers’ demands are extremely high, only inventive and groundbreaking works will survive in this game. For example, Asia entertainment constantly seek out new ideas for their videos.

I wasn’t planning on writing about Trish’s DVD until she opens her mouth during the interview with SBTN. Her comment was, “I think a lot of kids would appreciate [my music] more than the [adults] that I perform for now. Cause a lot of them are … [dummy face]. They don’t get it.” Call me deaf and dumb all you want but what is there to get? Trish’s vocals haven’t improved since the first time she steps on Asia’s stage, still exasperating and annoying.

What about her lyrics? Let’s just pick out a song she has written. The lyrics of “Stay a While” go something like this, “Please don’t walk away, / I just want to be. / Here right by your side. / Say you’ll stay with me. / Just a little while. / Only you and me. / Please don’t walk away. / Say you’ll stay with.” Come on Trish! The same material recycles over and over again and nothing new.

Trish is a cute girl but she needs some drama in her life to spice up her music and lyrics. She needs to reinvent herself and grow out of that tiresome style if she wants to be appreciated by the older listeners. Until then, don’t insult the audience.

Need some inspiration while designing? Pop in Luis Mejia’s Alegria, a beautiful instrumental album that guarantee to sprawl up creativities to your work. Luis’s golden fingers will strum you into a fantasy world and juice up your mind. Although Luis’s guitar is the key ingredient, the album wouldn’t be complete without the help of other elegant instruments.

Luis’s Alegria is the album that you can enjoy from begin to end without any interruption. Even when the album ended, you just feel so empty and yearning for more. With 12 mesmerizing tracks, Luis and his music will give you a little bit of Flamenco, Spanish, Contemporary, Pop and various rhythms to feed your mind. Although I love all 12 songs on the album, the ones stand out for me include: “Selva,” “Romance,” “To The Night,” “Rumba” and especially “Mediterraneo” (not sure how he does it but it sounds like he strokes with 20 fingers at once).

What more do I need to say? This album is an aesthetically beautiful work of art so I’ll let the music speaks for itself. Go ahead and buy it from his own website, LuisMusic.com, to support the independent artist for giving us such an incredible work.

On the cover, the combination of Thanh Lam and Trinh Con Son just doesn’t seem quite right; I must admit, however, Thanh Lam’s Ru Doi Di Nhe is one of the most innovative Trinh’s albums I have enjoyed. On this album, Thanh Lam is giving us her own interpretation of Trinh’s music. It’s quite a daring move but the result is unbelievable. For example, Thanh Lam turns “Mot Coi Di Ve” into a compelling Jazz flavor. I wonder where Dam Vinh Hung gets his inspiration.

On “Toi Ru Em Ngu,” Thanh Lam gives a groundbreaking a capella performance with her exotic vocals and she has done a beautiful job of holding off her breath. Her version of “Ru Ta Ngam Ngui” is bold, confidence, and creative. She has brought the liveliness out of the song with her strong and clear expressions. Thanh Lam is a great artist with a creative mind and her ingenuity has proven through the performance of “Em Hay Ngu Di,” “Ru Doi Ta Nhe,” “Nhu Canh Vac Bay,” “Mua Hong,” and “Goi Ten Bon Mua.”

Other than “Tinh Sau” which is way too “buon ngu” (sadly sleepy), Thanh Lam’s Ru Doi Di Nhe is a solid Trinh’s album. It’s perfect for my Trinh’s collection. Two thumbs up for Thanh Lam who has made it to my favorite Vietnamese artists list for her rule-breaking attitude and skillful musical interpretation.

Although I have Hong Nhung’s Thuo Bong La Nguoi for a while, it takes me some time to absorb Trinh Cong Son’s poetic lyrics. In every song, he paints beautiful descriptions with his simple yet influential words. In this album, Hong Nhung has chosen 11 delightful songs to celebrate the splendor of life and to appreciate the beauty of nature.

With her sweet, clear, and effortless vocals, Hong Nhung has created an aesthetic experience on this album with Trinh’s music. Furthermore, she has done a wonderful job of focusing on his expressions. For example, in “Moi Ngay Toi Chon Niem Vui” (Everyday I Choose a Happiness), she keeps it simple as everyday’s life and the result is artistically inspired.

In “Co Xot Xa Dua,” the language is filled with imaginative words, “Tren doi nguoi tro nhanh hoang vu/Tren ngay di moc canh la mu.” I have no idea how to translate that. I even have trouble understanding it but once I closed my eyes and listened to Hong Nhung’s crystal clear vocals, the images emerged. You just have experience it.

Again, “Ra Dong Truoc Ngo” paints a gorgeous scene of a little kid flying his kite among the big and beautiful sky. “Ru Em” creates a sweet lullaby, “Ru em cung nhung u me/Ru em, ru em du da chia xa.” In “De Gio Cuon Di” he touches on moral of life, “Song trong cuoc doi/Can co mot tam long/De lam gi em biet khong?”

Unlike other Trinh’s album where you get the same popular songs from Trinh Cong Son, Thuo Bong La Nguoi contains 10 songs I haven’t heard before and one bonus “Ben Doi Hiu Quanh.” This is a Trinh’s album that stands apart from the rest because of the songs selection. The musical arrangement is admirable and the traditional instruments (Dan Nguyet, Tieu) enhanced the experience greatly. If you haven’t heard of Hong Nhung, this is the album to get a taste of that fine and lovely voice.

When it comes to Trinh Cong Son’s music, I have extremely high expectations. Although Trinh is no longer with us, his everlasting music lives on; therefore, I am sure Dam Vinh Hung is awared of the danger of singing Trinh’s music. He has to position himself against not only singers of his age (Nguyen Khang, Quang Dung and Hong Nhung) but the older generation (Tuan Ngoc, Ngoc Lan, Khanh Ly, Khanh Ha, Elvis Phuong and many others) as well. Of course, he won’t be able to top them all but he can take advantage of his strong and unique styles to set himself apart from the rest. Was he able to pull them off? Not all of them, I am afraid.

His interpretation of “Ben Doi Hiu Quanh” is powerful, energetic and definitely “Dam Vinh Hung.” His performance stands out from the rest on this one because of its uniqueness and liveliness. With a shot of Jazz flavor and Dam Vinh Hung’s dominating vocals, “Mot Coi Di Ve” is instantly recognizable as Dam Vinh Hung and no one else. Whether you like it or not, his technique is truly astounding. Unfortunately, his flairs couldn’t spark through every Trinh’s song. On the contrary, he has ruined a few with the “sen” (dragging and delaying like traditional music) mode including “Em Di Bo Mac Con Duong,” “Got Ten Bon Mua,” “Nang Thuy Tinh,” and even “Bien Nho.” The maturity of his timbre is proven through tracks such as “Dem Thay Ta La Thac Do,” “Phoi Pha,” “Ha Trang” and “Tinh Nho.” Although his performances are respectable, these songs do not burst out his characteristics.

As a fan of Dam Vinh Hung, I am praising him for taking on the challenge of performing Trinh’s work. However, as a Trinh’s music fanatic, Dam Vinh Hung is not convincing me. He has not articulated Trinh’s music to the fullest. In any rate, I am sure Phoi Pha will bring many young listeners closer to Trinh Cong Son.