In the two-part interview, Tuan Ngoc shows that he is not only a very talented singer, but also humble man with a dry sense of humor. Respect!

Bran Dougherty-Johnson versus Jason Koxvold at Layer Tennis. Looks like Jason is murdering Bran.

NPR profiles Carmen McRae:

An outstanding song stylist, Carmen McRae’s great strength was in her phrasing and interpretation of lyrics, especially in ballads. In a long and distinguished music career, she was also an excellent pianist, songwriter and storyteller.

Listen to the program. Damn, I love the way she maneuvers her way around Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five.”

NPR:

It’s been more than two decades since the south Los Angeles rap crew N.W.A dropped the album Straight Outta Compton. A special 20th-anniversary CD comes out today. Back in the late ’80s, that gun-wielding, gang-banging, cop-shooting disc quickly turned N.W.A into a hip-hop household name.

We are in the process of creating 100 CDs to hand out to our guests on our wedding day as a little gift from us. We spent about seven hours last night testing, printing, cutting, and folding the cover I have designed. I am not a graphic designer and have never produced an album packaging before; therefore, the project is taking tremendous amount of time even though I kept the design very simple. I was a somewhat frustrated, but having her by my side made everything seemed right. She had singled-handedly sliced every cover that was printed. All I did was folded the pieces in half.

We came up with the concept while listening to Thuy Vu’s rendition of Ngo Thuy Mien’s “Niem Khuc Cuoi” as we were driving home one night from the city. We tossed out a bunch of titles we have experienced together since the time we first met. We narrowed down the compilation to seven tracks. Each one reflects the moment we shared. I wrote the sleeve notes and translated the lyrics, but my English translation sounded awkward so I turned to my big brother Trong for help. He had done quite a wonderful job with the help of his poetic daughter. Thank you both very much.

Now that most of the challenging part is done, the album is coming along. We still need to print the back cover and the CD artwork. I am quite excited to see the final product. Thanks baby for being with me throughout the process. You are quite a perfectionist.

10 tips to remember when creating CSS, Jina Bolton:

While CSS can be used to create sexy websites, writing CSS can actually be an artform by itself. The way in which CSS is created, structured, and maintained can be a thing of beauty.

I am getting a kick out of the book cover.

Cookin’ Soul’s new remix: “Billboard Gangsters.” The a cappella version of Jay-Z’s American Gangster has dropped. Keep your ears out for great remixes. Damn, where is my copy of Danger Mouse’s Grey Album?

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.”

My man HML brings back the timeless memories:

I wish to find once more those days of old,
The moon rising to the top of the areca palms,
By the storm lamp mother sat sewing,
While father read his daily paper.
The streets were deserted,
And in the dry stillness of the night,
I could hear the faint whistle of the train.

Translated by Trong Do