My man HmL disagrees with my view on Nguyen Khang’s rendition of Elton John’s “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word.” He writes:

So far as I am concerned, no one in the current crop of Viet male singers is capable of doing Elton John’s, without misinterpreting his intention. (For that matter, no one I’ve heard–Viet or otherwise–can do John’s music justice. I love my man Ray Charles, but even he shouldn’t have gone anywhere near this song; in his gravelly voice, he sounds plain exhausted vs. lovelorn.) John’s love songs are meant to be soft, wistful, emotional, and are written specifically for his tenor/falsetto voice (and his peculiar phrasing). Without these elements, they are no longer his songs.

Obviously, no one can interpret his song better than the writer himself. If you cover a song, however, reinterpreting the writer’s intention is not such a good idea. You have to take the song into your own hand, which I gave Nguyen Khang the credit for it. He took John’s “soft, wistful, emotional” and makes it rough, raw, yet still emotional. When Jimi Hendrix covered Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower,” he made it into his own and gave a much better performance than the writer himself. Even Dylan himself recognized it and made a tribute to Hendrix when he sang his own song, which was odd.

Even though this is where you and I split, your view makes it fun to discuss. I agree that Ray Charles dragged the soul out of the tune, and he’s my main man too. Thanks bro!

My bro’s take on Ngoc Ha’s Nuoc Mat Mua Thu before I shut down the comments. I like it. You should post your response to my pieces on your site from now on. Thanks for the Thanh Thuy’s tracks too. I know why you like her. It’s the raspiness, isn’t it?

Jeff Chang’s “Moving On Up” on Jay-Z. The piece has nothing new. Jay is no longer interesting because he’s no longer a crack rapper.

Dairy of a whore (the content is in Vietnamese and extremely explicit. Don’t say that I didn’t warn ya).

I have been making indecisive choices regarding to public comments. If I shut them down, I’ll sure miss the voices of those who come here for fun and real discussions. If I keep them running, I have to deal with those who are just here to challenge my nerve. Anonymity brings the worse out in people, and it is getting to the point where even the folks I once respected are commenting under anonymous just to get under my skin. So for now, I’ll turn off the comments until I could feel that it won’t be so bad to have open communication again. I write for the sake of writing, and I write for myself, but you are welcome to read my thoughts, muses, and criticisms. I apologize to those who are here to share your views with me, and you know who you are. Those who are here to work my tension, however, fuck off.

Ngoc Lan’s “Ben Nhau Ngay Vui,” a gorgeous, cheerful song for a beautiful, shiny day.

Jin ethered Rosie O’Donnell with “You’re Fired.” That’s my boy!

When I was reviewing Nguyen Dinh Phung’s albums (Da Khuc, Y Biec, and Ao Mong), I couldn’t find any information on the songwriter. His website was, and still is, inaccessible through Google; therefore, I wrote my pieces based on my own ears. Yesterday, an anonymous commenter pointed out NguyenDinhPhung.com (Duh, why didn’t I try that?). Even though the site is straight amateur, Dr. Nguyen is so generous that he shares all of his albums in high-quality MP3 for free. I suppose when a man can pull in six figures as a medical doctor, he doesn’t need to sell any CD. Music is just his hobby. Mad props to you, doc!

According Em & Lo’s “The Bottom Line,” sticking up the ass is getting popular. The article also points out that, “… the straight-male fear of reciprocal anal play is a potent mix of sexism and homophobia; a straight man can do it to someone else, but having it done to him isn’t okay.” Ladies, try to poke your finger up your man’s ass and see if you get a smack down. If you don’t, then he must have enjoyed it. You never know how freaky your partner is until you try.

Tuan Ngoc’s rendition of Doan Chuan and Tu Linh’s “Gui Nguoi Em Gai” from Thang Bay Chua Mua. Besides his marvelous skill of grabbing notes on the high register, what makes Tuan Ngoc a singer’s singer is his attention to the lyrics. Gotta love the way he throws the accent on “be” in “Canh hoa tim tim be xinh xinh bao xuan nong.” I have heard many versions of this tune, yet no one puts the emphasis on that little word the way he does.

Something for you to read:

Mai Tran and Christopher Goffard’s “A Desperate Mother Ignores the Odds” (Make sure you have a piece of tissue on hand)

Greg Tate’s “Eulogy for Black Caesar” (James Brown is truly free)

Andy Nguyen’s “Cuoc Tinh Dau…” (Sure beats the shit out of my first love)

What’s the difference? I’ll let Mr. I-Got-99-Problems-But-a-Bitch-Ain’t-One breaks it down for y’all.