By singing a jazz standard over a rock song or the other way around, Jacqui Naylor invented a style of her own called “acoustic smashes.” With The Color Five, she dressed Gershwin’s “Summertime” lyrics in Gregg Allman’s southern-rock “Whipping Post” and Rod Stewart’s “Hot Legs” in Herbie Hancock’s funk-jazz “Cantaloupe Island.” She pulled both tracks off with her slightly scratched voice, versatile phrasing and rhythm sensitivity. Unfortunately the album loses its spell with mundane pop-rock covers like REM’s “Losing My Religion” and U2’s “I Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”

Khanh Linh needs to cut out that operatic shit. Her wailing soprano on Le Minh Son’s “Tieng Hat Em” is as irritating as screeching chalk against the board. Maybe she shouldn’t have worked with Le Minh Son, the composer who seems to enjoy hearing singers scream all out. Her cover of Duong Thu’s “Tieng Song Bien” isn’t so bad until the annoying adlib kicks in. The Latin-grooved “Tuoi Nui Doi” is the only track that stands out.

Whether Alicia Keys floats like an old slinky songbird on “Where Do We Go From Here” or drenches her emotion into “The Thing About Love,” her third studio album, As I Am, proves that the R&B singer still has soul, chops and grooves. With her powerful, slightly cracked vocals, she delivers each song in effortless commend. Even when she boosts “I am a superwomen,” you have to concur: “Yes she is.”

On Tinh Ca Muon Thuo, composer and pianist Nguyen Anh 9 turns toward nostalgia as he plays a soliloquy on the keyboard. From the opening “Khong,” Nguyen Anh 9 gives give his own ballad tune a classical tinge. Although his technique—gliding from quiet diminuendo to pounding crescendo—is elegant and exciting, all the tracks get a similar treatment except for the melody. Some syncopation on the left hand and arpeggios on the right are necessary to spice up his execution, especially on the bluesy “Mua Thu Canh Nau.” Still the album is perfect for relaxing and stress releasing.

At 86, Dave Brubeck is still at the top of his solo ballad playing. Indian Summer catches Brubeck at his melancholic mood. Every track is treated with calm, gentle strokes. Even the stride pieces like “Sweet Lorraine” and “Summer Song” are relaxed and reflective. His soft, sensual touches turn “Georgia on My Mind” into a bluesy intimacy and give his own “Thank You” a classical sensation. The album is best experienced in a private setting.

The title of Phuong Thanh’s new album alone damn near made me felt off my chair. She goes all out “sen” on this one. With tracks like “Lan va Diep,” “Bac Trang Lua Hong,” “Cau Cau Dua,” “Mat Nhau Roi” and “Sau Tim Thiep Hong,” Chanh is trying to make the most of her limited vocal range. Sure she had been mediocre before, but never to this extreme.

Back in September 2006 when Hoa Tran sent me a couple of his demo tracks, he had not found a voice of his own even though his vocals had potential. With his debut De Danh, he shows tremendous improvement in such a short period of time.

On the opener “Loi Ru Cho Con,” Ha Tran kicks off a folksy lullaby like a mother helping her kid walking on the road to music. Hoa Tran obviously spent a lot of time with his musical mother. No shame in that; many of you do too. Although her influence is apparent in his flow, delivery and phrasing, he has carved out a niche for himself by leaning toward femininity (not as much as Cindy Thai Tai). His gender-undistinguished vocals didn’t impress me at first, but they started to sink in after a few listens. He floats like a nightingale with a broken wing on the nocturnal “Doc Thoai” and scats like a horn on the funk-jazz “Bai Hat Cua Dong Song.”

With snoozing tracks like “Em O Dau,” “Tro Ve” and worst of all “You and I,” De Danh is not a strong album, but it is much more refreshing than those commercial works put out by big productions. At least Hoa Tran is willing to move beyond the mundane recycling of old tunes and willing to invest in new beats. Furthermore, he doesn’t sing to make a living, yet he makes way more innovative moves than most of the current singers who can’t seem to drag their lazy behinds out of their comfort zone. I suppose when music is your passion and not your income, you tend to push yourself more.

After an advanced screening of Ridley Scott’s new motion picture, Jay-Z revisited the booth to cut his own vision of American Gangster. Drawing his inspiration from Frank Lucas, the film’s heroin kingpin played by Denzel Washington, Jay-Z reflects on his drug-dealing days. As a gifted lyricist who could skip the writing step and rap right off his head, Jay-Z completed the album within a month.

His previous record, Kingdom Come, released less than a year ago and received mixed reviews. He claimed that the lyrics were too sophisticated for some listeners. Now back in his comfort zone, Jay-Z delivers each track through a cinematic scope taking the listeners back to a “mind state of a gangster from the 40s.” Although Jay-Z doesn’t write down his words, he still rhymes with intricacy. On “Pray,” he spits with vivid details: “As I head to my homeroom / I observe the ruins / dope needles on the ground / I hear the car go vroom / drug dealer in a BM with the top down.” Jay-Z’s improvisation is even more apparent on “No Hook.” He raps as though words just roll off his tongue: “Hustle cane, hustle clothes or hustle music / but hustle hard in any hustle that you pick.”

Speaking of hustle, Jay-Z is a hustler before rapper. While “Fallin’” catches glimpses of the dark days of hustling, “Roc Boys” shows the appreciation for his hustling success: “First of all I want to thank my connect / The most important person with all due respect. / Thanks to the duffle bag and the brown-paper bag / The Nike shoebox for holding all the cash.” A Jay-Z joint, of course, wouldn’t complete without addressing his rivals. In “Success” he rants: “Is this success all about? / A bunch of niggaz acting like bitches with big mouth?” Jay-Z has proven once again to be an irreplaceable hustler.

5 Dong Ke is apparently a very conceptual group. Its previous record, Tu Tinh Ca, was based around a style of a cappella. Its new released, Canh Mat Troi (Wings of the Sun), is structured in a storytelling experience: Track one tells a tale of a new day, in which all the creatures lilting to the rhythm of life; track two reflects on a childhood memory with the details of the kite flies high in the peaceful sky; and on the stories go.

Even the music arrangements have been conceptualized. Like its contemporary peers, 5DK always explores new sound (acoustic instrumentations and new-age groove). Unlike Tung Duong and Ngoc Khue, the group’s approach is more accessible. My personal favorite is the synthesis between western rhythm and eastern string in “Doc Huyen Cam,” one of the four tracks on the album written and composed by Bao Lan who is one of the members of the group. The plucking monochord sounds eerie and exotic against the space-out groove.

Although the musical production breathes fresh air into the album, what makes 5DK unique is how beautiful the girls sound together. Their tones are flawless on the spellbinding “Ban Mai” (“Morning”) accompanied only by Viet Anh’s arresting piano. And just imagine that somehow all four girls trying to convince you to stay with them—”Nguoi oi nguoi o dung ve”—would you have the heart to walk away? Hell no.

In an intimate setting at Trinity St. Paul’s church in Toronto, Ontario, Thu Phuong intoxicated me. Accompanied by the young Canadian jazz band, she sang her heart out on autumn-themed ballads like Doan Chuan and Tu Linh’s “La Do Muon Chieu,” Pham Trong Cau’s “Em Ra Di Mua Thu,” Trinh Cong Son’s “Doan Khuc Mua Thu Ha Noi,” Phu Quang’s “Dau Phai Boi Mua Thu” and Pham Duy’s “Mua Thu Chet.” All tunes arranged in slow tempo except for one swing and one bossa nova.

The small group of audience (around 200) not only escalated her passion and enthusiasm, but also allows room for close interaction, and she sure knew how to work the listeners. I drove eight hours to see her and she didn’t disappoint me. After loving her Trinh Cong Son songbook (Nhu Mot Loi Chia Tay) and the autumn concept of Em Ra Di Mua Thu, I have wanted to hear her rendition of Trinh Cong Son’s “Nho Mua Thu Ha Noi.” My desire was fulfilled when I approached her and made a personal request during intermission. She performed the song the way I had imagined: powerful and personal.

Thu Phuong ended the night with a snippet of “Bang Bang,” her most popular hit America, in a cappella. As she sang, “Dem nay, em se khong bao gio quen” (“This night, I will never forget”), the audience responded in the same sentiment with loud applause in standing ovation. Many thanks to Thu Phuong, lady sings the fall, for an indelible evening of intimate, intoxicating autumn.

Update: A set of the concert photos (much better quality than mine) from photographer Phuc Pham.