Although Thu Minh’s new album is titled in English, seven of the ten tracks are Vietnamese. Not sure what she tries to prove, but her Vietnamese English doesn’t do the justice. She should have left the last three English tracks off the record.

I Do would have been a perfect ballad album because Thu Minh is a fantastic ballad singer. With her clear voice and big tone, she could make a popular tune her own. With the help of Duc Tuan, she gives Vo Thien Thanh’s “Uoc Gi” a powerful cover and her rendition is as good as if not superior than My Tam’s. Likewise, her version of Huy Tuan’s “Nhung Giac Mo Dai” is so gorgeously romantic.

On Van Phong’s “Giac Mo Mang Ten Minh, ” her voice is constraint to accommodate the jazzy groove, but she sounds best when she could move beyond control. The result is just stunning when she turns up her pitch a bit too high for comfort on the chorus of Nathan Lee and Chu Minh Ky’s “Pho Vang Anh.” I have to cover my ears whenever Bang Kieu pulls out a stunt like that, but not in her case. Her high pitch and shrill seem to work well on big, belt-out ballads.

Not that I ever liked any of the Vietnamese video productions’ cover arts, but Asia’s latest Bon Mua 2: Mot Thoi De Nho has to be one of the worse designs yet. The front of the box cramped with so much crap that it had no room to breathe. The people were collaged together like a group orgies. What happened to simplicity? The use of gradients on fat, calligraphic-like typeface was horrendous. One of these days, I would love to see a clean and simple design without any singers’ face on the front. The back should be where all the singers are listed. The listing all the performances as well as credits to producers and songwriters on the back was the right direction, but the faded background got in the way of the text and the use of colors ruined the feel of the seasons.

Now that I get the design irk out of my system, let’s get straight to the program. Bon Mua 2 was obviously themed around four seasons. One of the most memorable performances was Paolo whose voice was charming and powerful. He delivered “Delilah” with confidence and bravado. His acting was a little strange, but it showed his passion. With Vu Tuan Duc’s swing arrangement, Nguyen Khang gave Tu Cong Phung’s “Bay Gio Thang May” a nice touch of jazz. His timing was just right for the up tempo. Vu Tuan Duc also had done a great job of keeping the orchestration simple on Bich Van’s gorgeous cover of “Mua Xuan Dau Tien” and Ho Hoang Yen’s intoxicating rendition of “Chieu Tim.” These two were the best combo (Asia’s overused concept) of the show because of the contrast in their vocals. Bich Van’s voice was high and smooth; Ho Hoang Yen’s voice was smoky and a bit rough. The bossa-nova bassline accompanied Ho Hoang Yen’s vocals was captivating.

On the flip side, Thai Doanh Doanh gave an awful cover of “Without You,” yet Cardin was even worst trying to dance to Truc Ho’s “Va Hom Nay.” He couldn’t even stand still to deliver a slow song. Why he felt the need to dance like a robot was beyond me. Trish tried to cover Ngoc Lan’s French tunes. The good part was that she reminded me nothing of Ngoc Lan. Trish should focus on perfecting her Vietnamese before moving on to a third language. Yet, the most ridiculous act had to be handed to Doan Phi. This kid shook his behind more than Anh Minh in the lambada routine. If you’re going to grind on a hot chick like Anh Minh, do it with authority and power and not like a little bitch. Speaking of hot, Diem Lien was sexy, but not in a harmful way. She was neither busty like Y Phuong nor skimpy like Thien Kim. Her petite figure and cute smile added a nice touch to her ripe, savory beauty.

For once, viewers could enjoy the show without the political propaganda shoved down their throats, not even from Viet Dung and Nam Loc. The video’s main focus was music and that is the way it should be.

Duc Tuan has been busy this year. In July, he released a Van Cao album, Tieng Hat Truong Chi, and now, just three months apart, he’s dropping a second Pham Duy’s songbook, Kiep Nao Co Yeu Nhau, with the collaboration of producer Viet Anh.

The good thing about this record is that Duc Tuan has straightened up his phrasings. By reducing his rounded enunciation, he sounds less feminine (“dieu”). The not-so-good thing is that he couldn’t delivery some of Pham Duy’s well-know ballads, like “Roi Day Anh Se Dua Em Ve Nha,” “Cay Dang Bo Quen” and “Con Duong Tinh Ta Di,” to their fullest potential, and Viet Anh’s uneven arrangements—simple and crisp but lack in depth and texture—didn’t help either. The title track, “Kiep Nao Co Yeu Nhau,” is where the production is matched up with the vocals. When Duc Tuan soars, the orchestration picks up to provide him the backing up he needs to fuel his fire. “Co Hong” has a flavorful, bluesy touch; however, Mai Khoi ruins it with her moaning on the break. Most Vietnamese singers seem not to be able to distinguish the different between groaning and scatting.

While the concept approach—sticking with one producer and one songwriter—is still good for a more focused listening experience, the record doesn’t offer anything Duc Tuan hasn’t done before. He needs to steps up his game or else his success may slip.

Maybe a beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon was not the right time for an intimate listening experience. Ngo Thuy Mien and Thanh Trang’s Tinh Khuc Mua Thu—a fundraising concert for veterans living in Viet Nam— took place in VNCC’s auditorium at two o’clock was not a great success. I was hoping for a big rain to boost up the atmosphere, but the sky was bright and clear.

Besides the timing, the sleepy arrangements and the poor sound quality didn’t help either. Quang Tuan didn’t impress me much. His rendition of Thanh Trang’s “Huyen” was simply long and he didn’t have the stage performance. During the break (keyboard solo), he simply stood there looking at the audience and just waiting to sing again. Although Thien Kim could turn her back to the audience during the break to reveal her naked back, she was even more disappointed. She had to sing with the music sheet even on a well-known ballad like Ngo Thuy Mien’s “Ban Tinh Cuoi,” in which her short vocals took the bridge to nowhere. Diem Liem was the only one that could weather the quiet storm. Despite the snoozing accompaniment, she poured her heart out on “Tra Lai Cho Em,” a new tune from Ngo Thuy Mien that will guarantee to be a big hit. She also soared like a songbird in the afternoon on “Tu Giong Hat Em.”

After intermission, a PowerPoint-like video clip of the handicap veterans who are being ignored by the Vietnamese government was shown on a big screen to encourage donations. The best part of the show was the interview with Ngo Thuy Mien and Thanh Trang conducted by Duong Nguyet Anh, but it was rushed through because of time. Thanh Trang was quite hilarious in his answers even though he only had time for two questions.

Let’s be frank. No one can do Johnny Hartman like Johnny Hartman. He was a singer’s singer with a deep tenor voice and a distinctive ballad style. He also had John Coltrane by his side. Mahogany has a great voice of his own and he takes on Hartman’s signature tunes with his personal interpretation, like scatting on “Green Dolphin Street.” The live recordings of Mahogany Sings Hartman featured only bass, piano and vocals. While Mahogany’s voice remains terrific, the poor quality of the recording engineer brings down the album.

Do Bao’s Thoi Gian De Yeu features way too many vocalists. The record is all over the place like a compilation of songs rather than a well-crafted concept. If Do Bao worked closely with just one singer, preferably Nguyen Thao, and focused on one or two styles, preferably blues and jazz, the result would have been tighter and more coherent.

Out of all nine vocalists, Nguyen Thao seems to be the most suitable singer for Do Bao’s lovely melodies and romantic lyrics. She has a gorgeous voice—sweet and slightly gravel—and she could maneuver her way around the pop-jazz arrangement on both the title track and “Nhung Khuc Troi Khac.” Nguyen Ngoc Anh is another mesmerizing vocalist who gives an intoxicating rendition of the bluesy “Chim Trong Muon Thuo.”

Ho Quynh Huong is a return guest from the first album and she opens with the listenable “Buc Thu Tinh Thu 4.” It seems as if Do Bao is obsessed with his love letters. One or two is enough; three or four is a little bit too much, unless he has four different lovers. Ha Tran also returns with two tracks and only “Cau Tra Loi” is passable. The other guests—Tung Duong, Thanh Lam, Le Hieu, Tan Minh and Huy Pham—aren’t contributing anything worthy.

Saigon Lounge, a collaborative effort between MC/singer Nguyet Anh, songwriter/producer Quoc Bao, and French arranger Laurent Jaccoux, is a perfect cure for insomnia. Like its title suggested, the album is intended for lounging bars, café shops, and maybe some make-out places in Ho Chi Minh City. Over electronic, mellow-out arrangements, Nguyet Anh delivered Quoc Bao’s eight familiar tracks like a really-bad-French-romantic-ballad singer. On “Vang Em,” her indistinctive voice comes through like an audio-reading device. Then there’s the horrendous Caribbean jazz groove on “La Yeu Chua Tung Yeu,” an unbearable smooth sax on “Cho Em Noi Them Trang,” and “Vua Biet Dau Yeu” is more like a disco joint than a relaxing track. Saigon Lounge is supposed to be for chilling out, but I rather kick back with Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck with Paul Desmond, or Stan Getz.

Quynh Lan, a bar singer with a sensual, smoky voice, knows a thing or two about intimacy. On Nguyen Anh 9 songbook, Ky Niem, she sings his song as if she’s living it. The minimal setting, accompanied by guitar or piano, helps bring out the personal interpretation in her phrasings.

Over a gorgeous strumming guitar, Quynh Lan gives “Co Don” a sense of solitude. She doesn’t belt out, but her words are filled with passion even on the low register. Many singers covered “Tinh Yeu Den Trong Gia Tu” in a bossa-nova groove, but Quynh Lan approaches it in a much slower pace and just bares her soul over Nguyen Anh 9’s elegant piano. The advantage of singing it in a relaxed tempo allows her the time to express the lyrics word for word. “Mua Thu Canh Nau” is another savory take on the blues. By leaving out drum, bass and horns (saxophone or trumpet), the piano provides only the essential chords and what left are simply the raw emotional vocals.

Though Ky Niem is not groundbreaking, the record is perfect for those who enjoy Vietnamese intimate ballads. Listening to it song for song on a rainy night is a pure melancholy pleasure.

Kevin Mahogany’s last night performance in the Kennedy Center was enjoyable but not as ecstatic as the first time I saw him at Jazz in the Valley in West Park, New York. His gruff, husky voice hasn’t changed, but the band, The Godfathers of Groove, accompanied him didn’t hold up. The trio group consisted of Grant Green Jr. on guitar, J.T. Lewis on drums and Reuben Wilson on Hammond B3 organ. Personally, I prefer the piano to the organ. The major drawback was no thumping double bass to accommodate Mahogany’s hypnotic low register.

The Godfathers of Groove opens the show with an instrumental number and Kathy Kosins whose voice sounds like Diana Krall but less smoky sang two Kansas City blues, included “You Turned Your Back on Me.” She introduced Mahogany to the stage and he kicked off with him own blues tune called, “Kansas City Born and Bred.” He performed a handful of Kansas, shouting blues including “Centerpiece,” in which he scatted the entire B section. My favorite piece is “Please Send Me Someone to Love,” in which he sang with a soulful, gospel feel. There was also a medley that started in slow blues, but progressed in triple tempo. The best part was when he invited Kosins to join him for a scat duet.

The show was an hour and a half long, but it went by so fast. Mahogany was quite a funny man and he made us laughing in between the songs. I copped his live recording of Mahogany sings Hartman after the show. By the way, the Kennedy Center was gorgeous, and looking down to DC at night in the rain was a wonderful experience.

Just hours away from his scheduled performance on the 2007 BET Hip-Hop Awards, T.I. was arrested for attempting to purchase several unregistered machine guns and silencers. He was bailed out, but required to stay inside his home at all times. While under house arrest, T.I. decided to make good use of his time. He cut an album called Paper Trail. The title refers to the technique of writing down rhymes, something he has abandoned after his 2001 debut, I’m Serious.

Although T.I. has proved his lyrical skills without the aid of pen and paper, his rhymes get more complex and evocative when he takes the time to write them down. The John Legend assisted “Slide Show” provides snapshots of T.I.’s life in vivid details as well as some retrospection: “If I only knew back then what I know now / how much better life would have been if I slow down.” The jazz-inflected “You Ain’t Missing Nothing” is a devotion to his hommies who are locked behind the walls counting months after months. The stories are eloquent and sentimental, but T.I. managed to throw in some light humors: “The club on hold and the bras on pause / You get home it’s going to be waiting on y’all.”

Still, T.I. is at his best when he boasts his braggadocio. On “I’m Illy,” T.I. presents his virtue in rich rhythmic flow and doses of arrogance: “hip-hop champion,” “five-star general,” “OG veteran,” and “stack cash like US treasury.” One of T.I.’s assets has to be his swag. He knows it and never shies away from displaying it. On a contagiously catchy “Live Your Life” with Rihanna holding down the hooks, T.I. boosts: “I am the opposite of moderate… Spirit of a hustler and a swagger of a college kids.” On “No Matter What,” T.I. spits with confidence: “Never have you seen in your lifetime / a more divine southern rapper wit a swag like mine / Facing all kind of time, but smile like I’m fine / brag with such passion and shine without trying.” If those aren’t showcasing enough swag already, T.I. invited three more swaggers (Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and Kanye West) to join him on “Swagga Like Us.” Unfortunately Kanye and Lil Wayne killed the track with the use of Auto-Tune.

Paper Trail suffers when T.I. throws a bone for the ladies (“No Matter What’), drops a club hit (“Swing Ya Rag”), and reveals his horniness (“Porn Star”). Toss out the mainstream fillers, the album is quite impressive. With his virtuosic flow and articulate lyricism, T.I. lives up to his self-proclaim title: “king of the south.”