Like any songwriter’s album, Pham Duy’s newest release, Phuong Yeu, is nothing more than a bunch of tracks thrown together. With way too many vocalists and producers, the record feels more like a compilation rather than a concept. The experience is disconnected even though all the songs are from one composer.

The only aspect the album has in common is that all of the singers are young and they breathe new air into Pham Duy’s classics. Ngoc Khue’s take on “Bai Ca Sao” is quite refreshing. Her distinctive interpretation makes me want to hear more of what she could pull off with Pham Duy’s songs. One track is just not enough.
Likewise, Khanh Linh’s cover of “Em Le Chua Nay” is a sensation with the support of 5 Dong Ke. Both Mai Khoi and Phuong Anh give “Tim Nhau” and the title track a rejuvenating vibe.

Despite the tracks are consistence in quality, they still sound all over the place. If the album was refrained to a producer and a vocalist, it would yield a much more intimate result. Too much variety interrupts the flow, but variations in a focused concept is rewarding.

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and even if your lover is a big fan of Bang Kieu, do not give her his latest CD, Nhac Yeu Cau, unless you want her to leave your ass. Listening to the album while driving home yesterday almost made me become Michael Douglas’s character in Falling Down.

From the opening cover of Pham Duy’s “Chuyen Tinh Buon” to the closing of Truong Sa’s “Mot Mai Em Di,” the only thing Bang Kieu added to the depressing tunes are his diva drama. His version Vu Thanh An’s “Tinh Khuc Thu Nhat” is like Celine Dion meets Kenny G. His feminine high pitch and the smooth saxophone just make me want to jump off the Washington Monument. If Tran Thien Thanh “Tinh Dau Tinh Cuoi” and Duy Quang’s “Kiep Dam Me” aren’t two of the most depressing songs of all time, Bang Kieu has just put them on the chart. As if one diva isn’t schmaltzy enough, Bang Kieu invites diva Tran Thu Ha to join him on Nguyen Vu’s “Loi Cuoi Cho Em” and Tran Thien Thanh’s “Khi Nguoi Yeu Toi Khoc,” and they sound like two broken-hearted broads crying over each other’s shoulder.

It’s safe to say that any album released under Thuy Nga production you can just toss creativity and innovation out the window. In fact, Bang Kieu is not trying to make anything imaginative here because he knows that these tunes have been covered to death and there isn’t much he can do with them. The quickest and easiest way to cash in on them is to make them as dramatic as possible and he does so damn well without even blinking.

When my wife informed me that The Puppini Sisters will be performing at Birchmere, I was ecstatic. I don’t have to go all the way to Europe to see them; they come to Alexandria. I dig The Puppini Sisters. Who doesn’t like chicks with lovely British accent and a sense of swing? Yes, they can really swing. From Gloria Gaynor’s disco-fever “I Will Survive” to Beyonce’s R&B mega “Crazy In Love,” The Sisters proved it last night that they could make any tune swing. Even Duke Ellington’s classic “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got No Swing)” got hard swing with various tempos and close-harmonic scatting.

Dressed in red, The Sisters entertained the audience not only with their vocal skills, but also with their fresh reinterpretation of old songs and sense of humor. Even their own tunes, including “Jilted” and “I Can’t Believe I am Not a Millionaire,” are a novelty. In addition to the trio accompaniment with Blake Wilner on guitar, Pat Levett on drums and Henrik Jensen on bass, the Sisters played their own instruments on a few performances. With Marcella Puppini on accordion, Stephanie O’Brien on violin and Kate Mullins on melodica, they formed a very playful orchestra.

The Sisters are fantastic, but if I have to pick one, I have to go with the Italian sister who is the smallest in physic but the loudest in voice. Good thing does come in small package. Her solo performance of “You’ve Got The Right Key, But The Wrong Keyhole” is an unforgettable one. With the encore, the Sisters returned with their goofy but great version of “Walk Like an Egyptian.” Not a bad way to end a Monday night.

With his formal training in opera, The Son could hold a note longer than it needs to. On the title track of his unimaginative album, he does just that without even a rough edge could be heard. He has such a smooth, polished voice that when he sings a drunken tune like “Trai Tim Tat Nguyen,” he sounds like a sober guy.

The major problem with The Son isn’t just his voice, but he spends way too much of his time trying to make hits instead of carving out a niche for himself. He covers the most covered tunes including the exhausting “Lat Mat Mua Xuan,” “Ve Day Em” and “Khuc Tram Ca” with nada creativity. Thuy Nga’s mechanical productions aren’t helping either. Even on the bossa-nova remake of “Vet Thuong Cuoi Cung,” he stays so faithful to the melody that it just sounds strenuous.

Doi Toi Chi Mot Nguoi satisfies his fans, but not going to win him any newcomer. The Son needs to get out of his comfort zone and experiment new sounds. Covering hand-me-down hits just don’t do it for him. For the sake of change, put his training in good use. Cut an opera album or something.

50 years later, Miles Davis’s 1959 landmark Kind of Blue sounds fresher than ever. If you have never listen to one of the best selling jazz albums in the history, start on the first disc. If you’re like me who had listened to the album for a couple hundred times, skip to the second disc for cover of standards from the all-star group: Miles, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb. Pay particular attention to the previously unreleased version of “So What” and look out for Coltrane’s magnificent solo. The freedom of modal scales gave Coltrane the space he needed to blow at the peak of his power. Can’t get any better than this.

Considering the recent DVD releases from various productions, I have to give credit to Thuy Nga for what’s it worth. Van Son 41 in Florida is creatively dead. Tinh 17 in Thailand is just garbage. I didn’t even have to courage to pen a review for Asia’s staled Xuan video. Yet, the second installment of Paris by Night’s 25th Anniversary, Cam On Cuoc Doi, is even better than the first.

After a group-opening performance, Y Lan returned to her elegant and classy look. The red dress was stunning and so was her singing of Tu Minh’s “Hay Cu La Tinh Nhan.” The lyrics fit her personality perfectly: “Dung lam vo lam chong, roi nhin nhau chan ngan. Hay cu la tinh nhan de tinh ta menh mong.” No wonder she changed her husbands like clothes. Then Nhu Loan outdid herself again. The chick was blazing hot and she hid nothing. Even her panties were glittering. So what if she can’t sing. You can still enjoy her performance on mute. Now I understand what Sarah Palin meant when she said that she was fond of Tina Fay’s impersonation of her without the sound on. Hoang Oanh also brought back nostalgia with her fantastic rendition of Mai Chau’s “Mot Nguoi Di.” Her effortless delivery, flawless enunciation and ageless voice are her secret weapons.

The second disc is not as good as the first, but I am pretty sure the broadway-style performance of Bang Kieu and Quynh Vi will be used countless of times at weddings. Obviously Nguyen Hung and Thuy Van burned the dance floor once again with their dance moves. I am not sure how many versions of Tran Tien’s “Ra Ngo Ma Yeu” Tran Thu Ha has recorded, but this particular arrangement is the worst and she doesn’t have the visual appearence to back up her singing either. Trinh Hoi’s backstage-MCing style annoyed me to no end. He should have remained retired.

I find this video to be entertaining even the sitcom (have to hand it to the little kid Nguyen Huy) and the tan co dao duyen from Minh Quynh and Phi Nhung. It must be that my expectation has dropped six feet under.

Comparing to the constant release of Thuy Nga, Asia and Van Son, the three big productions, Tinh only comes out once in a blue moon, yet its latest music video in Thailand is a huge disappointment in so many levels.

First of all, the name should be changed from Tinh to Tuong entertainment since the Tuong brothers have dominated the double DVD. “Thuong Ba Me Que” is Tuong Nguyen and Tuong Khue duet. “Ben Doi Cho” is a Tuong Khue solo. “Chieu Ao Ba Ba” is a Tuong Nguyen solo. “Em Ve Keo Troi Mua” is a Tuong Nguyen and Thuy Khanh duet. That’s not all. They even recruited their sister Nhu Quynh for “Khoc Them Lan Nua.” My brother-in-law mused, “These guys must have paid the production to be on the video.” He might be right.

Musically speaking, Tinh tries to revive old pop hits with not much creativity. Mixing a bunch of Thai’s past hits with a bunch of wimpy, pseudo raps from Justin Nguyen, Kevin Khoa and Huy Vu just don’t cut it. The medley of “C. C. Catch” is even more horrendous on both musical and fashionable counts. The 80’s outfits on the chicks are just trashy. What makes it worst is that some of them are so skinny and flat-chested that the only things they showed were their guts.

What I really don’t understand is why filmed in Thailand? The production ran out of scenes in the U.S.? I am sure Thailand is a fantastic country to visit and I already get a feel of the exotic spot from Van Son production. I don’t need three more hours of music video to remind me once again that Bangkok is a place to travel. What made Tinh memorable in the past was the good storylines that went along with the music. Even the cheesy love story between Huy Vu and Minh Tuyet on “Huong Ruou Tinh Nong” still stuck on my mind. I am not going to lie. I almost shed a tear when I watched that.

Truthfully, I really like to see Tinh to be successful. Unlike other productions, Tinh relies only on DVD sales to make profit, but if this is the direction the production is heading, there won’t be any hope.

Nguyen Hong Nhung’s new album, Mo Ve Anh, is a return to the intimate-setting style she had abandoned since her debut. Working only with producer Vu Quang Trung on nine tracks, the record feels closed and personal.

Nguyen Hong Nhung’s big, gorgeous voice floats like songbird on the semi-classical “Bai Ca Cho Anh” (written by Vu Quang Trung and Bang Kieu). Her version of Kim Tuan’s “Bien Can” is surprisingly pleasing thanks to the intoxicating bossa-nova arrangement. She also gave a soulful cover of Vu Thanh An’s “Bai Khong Ten So 8” accompanied by an elegant, solo piano; however, the smooth saxophone should have been left off the break.

The only bad interpretation is Y Van’s “60 Nam.” The beat is too slow for this joyful track and it causes her flow to be stilted. It would have been a great cut with a swing-up rhythm. Technically, Nguyen Hong Nhung still needs to work on her breath control. It’s all over the place and bringing down her delivery a notch.

Unlike the complexity of jazz, a pop record is either a hit or a miss. If the productions are tight, you win half of the battle. If the hooks and the lyrics are right, you will be on your way to victory. Of course, it’s easier said than done. These days Vietnamese pop albums are being released like baby diapers. You hear it once and you throw it out. The major issue is that most young pop singers do not put their investment into the productions and they rely too much on cheap lyrics to feed their hungry fans. Someone once said that why do I even bother listening to these rubbishes. My hope is to come across something decent. I’ve found it.

Ha Anh Tuan’s Sai Gon Radio is an enjoyable pop record just because he understands the rules of pop. He knows that the productions have to be pleasurable even when his voice fails him. What makes Sai Gon Radio work is that it doesn’t sound like a hip-hop/R&B imitation and the lyrics aren’t as banal as those Chinese-inflected junk. Although the album opens with a tune called “Radio,” it is more suitable to be spin in the club than on the airwave. The beat is groovy and the hook is catchy as hell. “Ganh Hang Rau” is another dance-driven production, but the words behind the beat are even more inspiring—something about selling vegetables to buy big house. Hey, who said you can’t dream?

Although Anh Tuan’s nasal voice is persuasive even on slow jams like “Loi Nhac So 4,” the album has its share of snoring moments. Still, the record is surprisingly good. What surprises me even more though is the producer behind the tracks. Nhat Trung has certainly stepped up his pop game.

My Funny Valentine, which features five extended ballads recorded live on February 12, 1964, highlights the lyrical Miles. With the young Tony Williams (drums), Ron Carter (bass) and Herbie Hancock (piano) holding down the rhythm section, Miles only played the most vital notes. From the title track to “I Thought About You,” Mile’s delicate tone and startling sensitivity blow chill air to the standards. George Coleman who gives some of the most memorable solos on the tenor saxophone also plays a major contribution to the quintet.

Check out the video of “My Funny Valentine.”