Let’s get two things straight. Quynh Hoa has a young face, but an old, grainy voice, as if her vocal cords were sent through a dryer machine with a handful of small rocks. Although her forth release titled Tango 09, the album only featured three tango-style ballads.

All three tango tracks (Doan Chuan & Tu Linh’s “Tinh Nghe Si,” Pham Dinh Chuong’s “Xom Dem” and Duong Thieu Tuoc’s “Bong Chieu Xua”) are excellent because of her raspy vocals and effortless flow around the ballroom arrangements. Her jazzy rendition of Hoang Giac “Bong Chieu Qua” is exceptional and the intimacy of Nguyen Anh 9’s “Buon Oi! Chao Mi” (accompanied mostly by solo piano) is a reminiscent of the early Le Thu (before her ranges and tones are gone).

Tango also featured four special guests: Le Anh Dung, Duc Long, Quang Hao and Tuyet Tuyet. The weakest is the duet with Quang Hao on Hoang Giac’s “Mo Hoa.” The chachacha arrangement is robotic and Quang Hao’s voice is attractive but lacks the individuality. Overall, Tango is a solid ballroom dancing album.

Song Giang has a sexy, slightly smoky voice, but her song selection on her forth release, Uoc Mo Co Nhau, makes her sound rather sleepy. The leadoff title track is simply snoring and she has done her best but still couldn’t make Bao Chan’s overrated “Bien Em La Bien Rong” anymore exciting. Two tracks that truly showcase her talents are Duong Thu’s “Bai Hat Ru Cho Anh” and Nguyen Ngoc Thien’s “Tinh Suong Khoi.” On the first one she soars like a songbird with a wounded wing over the sensual Latin groove and the jazzy arrangement on the second fits well with her raucous timbre.

If Bang Kieu is your bitch, Phan Dinh Tung is mine. His latest album, Hat Nhan, is campy as shit and I am totally gay for it. Beside the lame-ass birthday track (“Khuc Hat Mung Sinh Nhat”), a heartfelt dedication to mom (“Nho On Me”) and a tribute to dad (“Loi Day Cua Cha”), the rest are sweet-n-sour ballads that are delicious enough to get you craved for at least three returns before getting sick of them.

On Your Songs, Harry Connick, Jr. uses the Frank Sinatra swag to reinvigorate classic popular tunes by the likes of Billy Joe, Elton John and Nat King Cole. The results are mixed. His version of Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling In Love With You” is straightforward yet enticing thanks to the help of Wynton Marsalis’s gorgeous solo. On “And I Love Her,” Connick gives the Beatle’s classic song a sensational cover by wrapping his luscious, nasal voice around the lush bossa nova arrangement. On the other hand, tracks like Sinatra’s “All the Way,” Leroy Jones’s “(They Long to Be) Close to You” and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Some Enchanted Evening” sound like Christmas shopping mall music.

Thai Bao has apparently been around for a while, yet this is the first time I’ve heard of her and it didn’t take long for me to be hooked on her raspy, intimate voice and effortless yet emotional delivery. Her fifth volume, Nghe Giot Nang Phai, is a tight set that could be enjoyed straight through with many savory repeats.

The leadoff track, “Khat Vong Tinh Yeu,” doesn’t impress me at all. The way she stretches the words and her stilted phrasing come off awkward. The silky-smooth sax doesn’t help either. The second track, Diep Minh Tuyen’s “Canh Hoa Luu Ly,” however, is a complete turnaround. She took my breath away with her soul-stirring rendition of the war-sentiment ballad. Accompanied by acoustic picking guitar, she soars like a lonesome bird with despondency and solitude on Thanh Tung’s “Mot Minh.” On Pham Minh Tuan’s “Thanh Pho Tinh Yeu Va Noi Nho,” she pours her heart out on one of the most moving red-music tunes from Viet Nam. (They didn’t grant her the NSUT title for nothing.)

Her version of Ngo Thuy Mien’s “Rieng Mot Goc Troi” comes closest to Tuan Ngoc’s if not as good. Although she couldn’t grab the high notes like him, she could reach the low notes deeper than him. You can feel the complete isolation when she phrases “Toi da choi voi / Rieng mot goc troi.” On Trinh Cong Son’s “Lang Le Noi Nay,” you can hear that she has lived the lyrics and tasted the bittersweet tang of love: “Tinh yeu mat ngot mat ngot tren moi / Tinh yeu mat dang mat dang trong doi.” On Thuan Yen’s “Chia Tay Hoang Hon,” the inexplicable bleakness of her voice makes you want to slit your finger and write “Please don’t go” on a mirror with blood.

Duc Huy’s “Va Con Tim Da Vui Tro Lai” is a perfect album closer. Her voice lights up the dark corners and brings hope to love and forgiveness to life. What makes the album so addictive is that most of the arrangements are kept to the minimal to allow her vocals to do the seductions. The end result is just pure magic. The title of the album is taken from a line from “Rieng Mot Goc Troi” to suggest her voice as “a drop of fading sunshine” but far from waning. To me, her voice is like fine wine that gets better and spicier with age.

Let’s make it official: No rapper could balance pussy and poetry as skillful as Ghostface Killah. Ghostdini, his new release, is the proof. On “Stapleton Sex,” Ghostface takes hardcore pornographic rhymes to a new ground. He spits like a horny bastard on doses of viagra: “Yo my, face is wet, got hair on my tongue / Cause I’m a greedy nigga, absorb pussy juice like a sponge / Feel the pretty warm dick, rub it on your clit / Oh, right before I bust, I spray it on your tits.” Elsewhere, “Do Over” and “Baby” with Raheem DeVaughn on the hooks, Ghostface comes off raw yet strangely charming. Ghostdini is choked full of R&B guest spots, but they don’t get in his way.

In a recent interview, Pham Anh Khoa claims that Lam Sao Noi Het is his best album ever. Giving that he only released two CDs, what he really mean is that he can’t make any record louder and more obnoxious than this. On the title track, he can’t seem to say everything so he wails over the noisy rock guitar riffs. “Throw Away” would be a more suitable title for this album. Yes, please throw this shit away.

This Colombian sex symbol sure knows how to work your hip as well as your hormone. Shakira’s new release, She Wolf, bounces from start to finish. While the groovy beats try to shake you, her words try to mind-sex you. On the catchy-ass Pharrell Williams-produced “Long Time,” she moans, “And when you think I can take no more / Just keep on going.” On the highly-addictive “Why Wait,” also produced by Pharrell Williams, she teases, “Why wait for later? / Hey don’t you want some action / I’m not a waiter / I like to make things happen.” Fuck yeah, let’s get it on.

Michael Bublé doesn’t need to rock. He just needs to swing. Unfortunately Bublé spends way too much time crooning soft-rock ballads on his new release Crazy Love. “Cry Me a River” starts off promising. The slick arrangement works wonders with his charming tenor. “All of Me” shows off Bublé’s swinging swag. But then the album begins to sink with “Georgia On My Mind.” He has to bring it if he goes against Ray Charles. From the title track to “Heartache Tonight,” Bublé tries to floss his way around the boring pop-rock numbers with not so much excitements.

Nowadays many young singers cover classic ballads, yet hardly any of them could give new life to the old songs. They either sound mad lazy or extremely uninspired. So far, Duong Quoc Hung is the exception. On his debut Chot Nho, Duong Quoc Hung actually sounds passionate as he breathes fresh air into the timeless tunes with the help of Nhat Trung.

Ngo Thuy Mien’s “Ban Tinh Cuoi” has been sung as a duet countless of times before, but Duong Quoc Hung and Phuong Trinh managed to make it their own. Phuong Trinh’s slightly husky, sultry vocals is a perfect match to Duong Quoc Hung’s soulful voice. They have done a superb job of supporting each other. I can’t ask for more. On Truong Sa’s “Xin Con Goi Ten Nhau,” Duong Quoc Hung maneuvers his flow effortlessly around Nhat Trung’s straight-forward, intoxicating bossa nova groove. “Mot Mai Em Di,” also by Truong Sa, gets a surprisingly pleasurable tango flavor. His version of Dien An’s “Vet Thuong Cuoi Cung” is refreshingly fervent and his rendition of Lam Phuong’s “Phut Cuoi” is so damn mesmerizing without having to belting out like diva Bang Kieu. Trinh Cong Son’s “Ru Em Tung Ngon Xuan Nong” would have been fantastic without Nhat Trung. I just want to bitch slap the dude for singing like a spineless bitch like, “ru maaai ngaan naaam.” He should have just stayed behind the board and not in the booth.

On the two newer tracks, Nhat Trung’s “Chot Nho” and Le Quang’s “Loi Tu Biet Tinh Yeu,” Duong Quoc Hung’s poignant delivery came through. He seems to make very wise choice in his song selections. Every tune was successful executed and each one displayed his range. This debut shows tremendous potential. Let’s hope he won’t fuck up.