One of my favorite Vietnamese female singers, Hong Nhung, has an ageless voice, a face of a young girl, but an ass of an old woman.

“Fuck Fox News,” the crowd chanted

T.I.’s new joint “Swagger Like Us” featured Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and Kanye West showing off their rapping skill. Not sure why Kanye is on because he has none and Auto-Tune makes him sound even worse. Auto -Tune also wrecked Lil Wayne’s verse. Jay’s verse is dope, but T.I. has the most swag up on this track.

Nguyen Vinh Tien’s Giot Suong Bay Len was a phenomenal debut thanks to Ngoc Khue’s extraordinary performance. The architect/songwriter continues to explore the contemporary-folks direction on his sophomore Ngoi Tren Vach Nang, but without Ngoc Khue.

What obviously missing on Ngoi Tren Vach Nang is Ngoc Khue’s playful idiosyncrasies, the unique elements that made Giot Suong Bay Len so damn hypnotic. Even the elastic Tung Duong is so rigid on “Mot Hat Com Nho.” He doesn’t bend notes or toy with words the way Ngoc Khue would have done. Although Trong Tan’s voice is very charming and he has done a great job of controlling his obstreperous vocals, I can’t help but imagining what Ngoc Khue would sound like on “Ong Toi.”

Anh Tho is the only female vocalist on the album, and she only contributes one track, yet her performance stands out. Her high, crystal-clear soprano floats like ghost passing through glass on “Song Oi Dung Chay.” Tuan Anh (not the weirdo one) is the main singer who is responsible for five of the album’s eight tracks. He has a warm falsetto that is perfect for romantic ballads, but he could also work his way around Nguyen Vinh Tien’s folksy tunes, particularly “Chon Hoang.” Tuan Anh rides in and out of the exhilarating arrangement that made up of both old and new sounds.

What makes Ngoi Tren Vach Nang pulled through is the excellent production. Phan Cuong has done an exceptional job once again behind the board mixing and weaving electronic beats with Vietnamese traditional instruments. Still the album isn’t quite like the one-of-a-kind breakthrough without Ngoc Khue.

A nice designed site that shares what people are eating.

Contestants of Miss Viet Nam 2008.

Simple and beautiful design for an online shoe store.

NPR profiles Nat Adderley:

Trumpeter, composer and bandleader Nat Adderley redefined the idea of “brotherly love” in a musical context. He devoted most of his creative energies to the band fronted by his saxophone-playing brother, Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, in which Nat played cornet, composed, managed the band’s money and generally looked after his older brother. Together, the brothers drove the Cannonball Adderley Quintet to great heights, in the process developing one of jazz’s greatest sibling success stories.

Wu Tang’s GZA returns with a superb record that reinforces his street literary. Pro Tools, GZA’s fifth solo album, showcases his signature style: delivering moody and mysterious rhymes over stark beats. “Path of Destruction” glorifies the dark side of street struggles. “Short Race” narrates a life of a kid who is a victim of abuse. “Paper Plate” takes shots at 50 Cent: “One verse will shatter your spine and crush your spirit / No matter what, you still window-shop for lyrics.” With solid track to track, Pro Tools marks a strong comeback from the lyrical Genius.

The folks at Vassar has launched Dean of the Faculty web site. Clean, well-organized and elegant use of typeface.