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.

Like mama says, “Mo coi cha an com voi ca. Mo coi ma lot la ma nam.” That’s why I still have the banging Ca Chien Tuong with Rau Muong (Vietnamese Spinach) and fresh sliced mango marinated in fish sauce even though pops has not been around. He’s still chilling in Viet Nam all these years. You can preach all you want, mama. Just feed me your food.

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.

A successful singer needs both vocal and aural skills. She has to be able to sing as well as hearing what she sings. Van Quynh has a fantastic voice, yet lacks the ear for good tunes. Her debut Uoc Mot Ngay kicks off with a dynamic, hypnotic rendition of “Mot Thoi De Yeu” giving the album a promising start. Unfortunately, even her powerful vocals couldn’t save the rest of the lackluster tracks. She’s still young and inexperienced at crafting an album, but Thuy Nga’s producers should have known better.

Just when I am about to let Visualgui.com fades to black, your encouraging words keep me going. Thank you for “a gift from the heart…” I sure appreciate it.

On Tinh Khuc Cho Em, Quang Dung throws Thai Ha a bone. She’s only a passable singer with soft and rangeless vocals. On their duet “Vung Lay Cua Chung Ta,” Quang Dung pulls her out of the mud. Her insomnia-cured voice only makes his sounded more superior than it actually is. Charity is the only reason he made this album. Whether he did it for the kids or for her, the profit should (as she has claimed) go to help the children in Viet Nam. So if you cop this album illegally, you should go to hell. Fuck it, I’ll be there with ya.

Produced Bonjour Viet Nam and Ao Dai Trang A Oi.

Designed Department of Dance, Dean of Freshmen, Campus Life Office and Learning & Teaching Center.

Reviewed Ha Tran’s Doi Thoai 06, Nguyen Khang’s Dong Doi, Thanh Lam & Hong Nhung’s No, Tran Thai Hoa’s Tinh Khuc Le Uyen Phuong, Bang Kieu & Minh Tuyet’s Boi Vi Anh Yeu Em and The Duke of Jazz.

And can’t forget this fun stuff.

Meet Larissa Meek, sexy model turned Web designer. Her paintings are mad hot too.

The Official Jay-Z Mixtape presented by Rob E Rob. Impressive cuts, DJ!