Let’s Ride

Damn, where can I go to this “Amusement Park?” Love the chicks, but the blue guerilla (Cam’ron’s word, not mine) looks kind of scary.

Gotta love the hook: “Shortie, you ain’t got to take your panties off, just pull them to the side. If you wanna ride on the rollercoaster, baby come on and ride.”

Kanye West’s New Joint

Can’t Tell Me Nothing

How you move in a room full of nose?
How you stay faithful in a room full of hoes?
Must be the Pharaohs, he in tune with his soul,
So when he buried in a tomb full of gold.
Treasure. What’s you pleasure?
Life is a, uh, depending how you dress her.
So if the devil wear Prada, Adam Eve wear Nada.

Swinging and Shining Again

In the liner notes of I’ll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey, a tribute to her mother, Regina Carter writes, “Sometimes when it rains, it pours, but the sun does eventually come out.” From the happy-feet opening of Edvard Grieg’s “Anitra’s Dance” to the melodious composition of Duke Ellington’s “Blue Rose,” Carter and her musicians confirmed that the sun has shined again. While the effervescent scat singing of Dee Dee Bridgewater brings a blissful vibe to Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart’s “This Can’t Be Love,” Carter makes her violin swing on “A-Tisket, A-Tasket,” as if Lady Ella was bringing down the house. This recording has indeed provided me with a little sunshine. Thank Ms. Carter (and brother Trong as well for hooking me up with the album).

Thuy Duong’s 1960s Songbook

In Dong Thoi Gian (1960s), Ice Ice Lady brings a bit of flavors, including the cha cha-tempo “Hoa Xoan Ben Them Cu” (Tuan Khanh) and lyrical ballad (nhac tru tinh) “Nua Dem Ngoai Pho” (Truc Phuong) to her repertoire. Her truth forte, however, remains with those intimate, slow-burning standards such as Trinh Cong Son’s “Phoi Pha,” Le Uyen Phuong’s “Vung Lay Cua Chung Ta” and Vu Thanh An’s “Tinh Khuc Thu Nhat.” Loving both the orchestrations and her behind-the-beat singings on those numbers.

Word up, Boo!

A Realm of Return

Haven’t listened to Thu Phuong’s Nhu Mot Loi Chia Tay for a while. Came back to it yesterday and stoned myself in her narcotic rendition of “Mot Coi Di Ve.” It must be that big, throaty, bad-ass voice and the heartrending violin that bring out the melancholy. Life sure is much lighter when you buried it in your sleep because sleep is the cousin of death.

Hom nay ta say om doi ngu muon
De som mai day lai tiec xuan thi.

Dear Mama

When I was sick as a little kid
To keep me happy there were no limit to the things you did
And all my childhood memories
Are full of all the sweet things you did for me.
2pac

Dem khuya thon thuc
Yeu me trong toi
Mo ve nhung ngay tuoi au tho bay
Ben me toi con mot diem phuc nay.
Dieu Huong