The clip of Kevin Mahogany interacting with the drummer brings back the good old memories when Dana and I were still dating. It was the first concert we went together. We had no idea who Kevin Mahogany, but we were hooked the minute the big man with a big, beautiful tone stepped on stage. (Another great find, big bro. I have to see you try something like that at Quan Van Nova next time. Deal?)
Thanh Thao needs to put the Barbie image to rest. She’s a grown-ass woman now and singing about Barbie just seems ridiculous. The silliest track on her newest release, Thao, is no other than Phuong Uyen’s “Bup Be Buon.” The way she phrases “buon” repeatedly as if someone’s trumpeting while doing a number two. The only difference is that she has the club beat to back her up.
Thao is an instant pop album that could get you addicted for about a week. Huynh Nhat Tan plays a major role in both lyrical content and production. His sentimental ballads, like “Vi Sao Chi Co Anh” and “Vi Anh Con Yeu,” sound Chinese, but quite catchy. He’s a master at hooking the choruses straight to your head the first time you hear them. On the production side, Thao has some quite groovy numbers. I can’t stop bouncing to “Cam Giac Nao Co Em.” The beat is too damn contagious.
Vocal wise, Thanh Thao recognizes her limitation; therefore, Auto-Tune is being used on a verse here and there throughout the album to enhance her singing. “Baby Boy” is the only track that is entirely Auto-Tuned and it is a perfect example of today’s Vietnamese teenybopper. The tune is about a mama’s boy and the lyrics go something like this: “Buon cho toi tuong duoc yeu / nao ngo dau nguoi yeu toi van… la baby boy.” How lovely?
Ngoc Lan’s voice has influenced an array of young pop singers. The latest is Ngoc Khanh who comes closest to sounding like Ngoc Lan. The only things missing are elegance and expression. Check her out!
Chuot Con in 10 weeks. Look at those big brown eyes.
The newly redesigned iPod Shuffle comes with VoiceOver.
A heartfelt piece about a loving couple adapting to their new life after an accident that left the wife paralyzed from waist down.
On her sophomore release, Nua Hon Thuong Dau, Y Phuong steps up her game. Although the album is not perfect, it is way better than her debut Tra No Tinh Xa. The major improvement is the matured materials. Instead of wasting her voice and our time on junkie hits, she pours her heart out on some of the most emotional classics.
Y Phuong sure knows how to provoke the drama. Accompanied by strumming guitar and sawing violin, she drowns in her own tears on the title track. On Tuan Khanh’s “Chiec La Cuoi Cung,” she swells like a songbird with a lost soul across a crescendo. At the climax, she holds the high notes with her gorgeous vibrato. On Vu Thanh An’s “Bai Khong Ten So 8,” she maneuvers her flow around the bossa-nova arrangement effortlessly. Her rendition of Trinh Cong Son’s “Rung Xua Da Khep,” Ngo Thuy Mien’s “Bai Tinh Ca Cho Em” and Tram Tu Thieng’s “Tuong Niem” are well-delivered even when her pitch is a shade too high for comfort.
Nguyen Anh 9’s “Tinh Khuc Chieu Mua” sounds worn out partly because the song has been sung to death. This tune should be banned for a while before anyone could return to it. It desperately needs a break. On the contrary, Pham Anh Dung’s “Thien Than Mong Manh” sounds new, but out of place on this album. The nice, relaxed feel of the tune breaks the dramatic theme she has built up to that point. Without the last track, Nua Hon Thuong Dau is just depressingly pleasure.
Yes big bro, the great man can make that chunk of wood sing.
I have a toe that has been bothering me for a couple of months. I finally takes my wife suggestion and go see a podiatry. I had a 9:00 appointment. The doctor came in looked at toe and said, “You have a wart. I am 99.9% sure, but I have to refer you to a skin doctor.” At 9:08, I walked out of the doctor office with no treatment.
Vassar homepage is featuring one of my designs when I was still employed there. A year and three months later, the design still look fresh.