Nguyen Hoang Thuy Vu who is a member of AC&M—a Vietnamese most respected a-cappella group—drops his solo debut, Thang Sau Troi Mua, with a promising potential. The album is dedicated to well-known ballads from Trinh Cong Son to Ngo Thuy Mien to Nguyen Anh 9 to Thanh Tung. Even though Thuy Vu doesn’t revolutionize these tunes, he gives them a masculine vibe with his deep, sentimental vocals. And when he sings low, particularly in Viet Anh’s “Khong Con Mua Thu,” his voice has bass.

Trinh Cong Son’s “Dem Thay Ta La Thac Do,” “Tuoi Da Buon,” “Mua Hong,” and “Diem Xua” have been covered who knows how many times, but never with the tenderness and profoundness Thuy Vu brings to them. He phrases Trinh’s lyrics like a real gentleman who pours out his emotion—calm but with strength. His delivery is at best when he is at ease because that’s when he’s capable of transforming the basest metal with his timbre. And we could experience it in Thanh Tung’s “Giot Nang Ben Them” and Ngo Thuy Mien’s “Niem Khuc Cuoi,” in which he sounds like a romantic guy who I would fall in love with if I were gay.

What makes the album works is apparently Thuy Vu’s marvelous voice, but the simple arrangements, especially the minimal piano works, help a great deal at enhancing the listening experience. The only weak production is in the title track, Hoang Thanh Tam’s “Thang Sau Troi Mua.” The rock riffs ruined his mellow flow, and the computerized drumbeat is too obvious. Other than that, the album is tight set song for song. Even though Thuy Vu doesn’t make these aged tunes sound contemporary, what he gives them is a humanness quality straight from his heart and vocal talent.

Started off as a temporary marriage until she becomes a legit citizen, but they developed into a real relationship. That worked out well, except he’s 29 and she’s 43. Still, there’s no crime in that. Like I said, “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number,” but his families disapprove, and they think she cast voodoo on him (still a common practice in Cambodia?). Because of family pressures, he moved out to be with her. As a closed friend, I support his decision. Adviced him to do whatever he feels right and what makes him happy. I am sure the family will come around. These days, people fall in love with their heads first, not too many follow their hearts; therefore, he has my admiration for going with his feelings. Even if the relationship won’t work out later on, at least he will walk away without any regret because he has loved with all of his heart. So keep your head up and do your thang, boy. I am with you. Got nothing but love for ya.

My boy and I go way back to junior high years. Then I got to know his two younger brothers (also in their twenties) as well as the rest of his family. They sort of “adopted” me ever since they moved in a block from my sister’s house. I guess it is because of my dark skin advantage, which I have always been mistaken for a Cambodian, and I spend way too much time at their crib. Even now whenever I come to visit my sister, they always throw a BBQ or something. Can’t get enough of that banging Cambodian steak sauce (po hok) his mom made. One time, his pops, him, his youngest brother (who I hang out with most of the time nowaday), and I went to a buffet. Pops brought along his wife’s savory po hok and we clean the steaks up in the place. Damn those were the days. I still come over the house whenever I go back to Lancaster, but it is just not same without him around. These folks are real special to me, and I am thankful for the love they are giving me—my extended family.

Told you baby, “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number.” (Miss you too, Aaliyah!)

And yes, “Boi Co Em, Toi O Lai Day” (Music & lyrics: Nguyen Minh, Singer: Quynh Lan)

An informal interview (part 1, 2 & 3) with Don Ho conducted by Hoang Trong Thuy. Still the down-to-earth guy. Good luck with the new album and the new production.

My favorite tune and video “Trai Tim Mua Dong.” It brings back the good old days.

Being one of Thuy Nga’s hottest babes on stage for four years, Nhu Loan finally gets a shot at recording her debut Tinh Lang Cam. As much as Thuy Nga folks hate to invest their capital into her singing (they rather spend on her body), they have to bite the bullet, and get it over with. They feel obligated to throw her a bone for baring her skin all these years, even though they know damn well that she is no singer. She has a weak, baby voice with not just limited but no range at all. She delivers every song with the same monotone. I hope that the up-tempo tracks, including “Mua He Ky Niem,” “Dem Tu Tinh,” and “Yeu Anh Diu Dang,” would at least have decent beats for her to ride with. Unfortunately, even the productions are pretty mechanical, which doesn’t help her much at all. At for slow ballads, I feel no emotion going into the songs. In the opener “Nguoi Dien Biet Yeu,” all I hear is her breathy vocals with straight soulless flow. For art’s sake, do something “crazy” to express how a lunatic falls in love. But don’t worry baby, I still got mad love for your glowing, glistering stage presence. So please keep on shaking what your mama gave you, as well as what you gave yourself.

I wish “Em La Cua Anh” forever, baby! (The arrangement is pretty bad, but I like Thi Hanh’s soft and shy vocals. Poem by Thi Hanh and music by Mai Duc Vinh.)

“Uoc Gi,” you’re here by my side! (From My Tam’s liveshow, Ngay Ay & Bay Gio.)

Unlike her previous release, which focused on Ngo Thuy Mien’s compositions, Khanh Ha’s new CD, Tu Muon Kiep Truoc, is all over the place. While the wide musical range—from pop to folk to jazz to pre-war to romantic ballad—added a mixture of colors, the overall experience is not so smooth. Even though her voice is excellent in almost all the tracks, the album doesn’t feel coherent, especially with four arrangers with different styles.

Furthermore, too many Paris By Night‘s hits (Quoc Dung’s “Chi La Mua Thu Roi,” Duc Tri’s “Nang Co Mua Xuan,” and Y Van’s “Long Me”) are integrated into the album. They are fantastic tunes, but I would like to see new materials or even new arrangements on a CD. I don’t mind the covering of “Bai Ngoi Ca Tinh Yeu” (A French ballad translated by Pham Duy) because of the fresh bossa nova-flavor. The beat is intoxicating and she knows how to bend and glide her vocals around the sensational rhythm. Same with Nguyen Anh 9’s “Hanh Phuc,” her vocals soar like a songbird over the semi-classical piano work. On the flip side, the silky sax and the programmed drumbeat bring down her rendition of Lam Phuong’s “Saigon Oi Vinh Biet.” Again her voice is exceptional in delivering Nguyen Hien’s “Ngan Nam May Bay,” but the rock-pop riff isn’t doing it for me.

What turns me off is that Tu Muon Kiep Truoc is more like a Thuy Nga than a Khanh Ha production. It feels more like a commercialized product than an independent work with too many crowd teasers and ear-candy productions. I respect the mother-dedicated “Long Me,” and it was fine to show on screen, but why put it on a new album? Hopefully, that’s not the selling point.

In the early 90s, medley was the trend. Every production pumped out medley albums one after another. I am not a fan of this mix-and-mash style, but I was hooked on Lien Khuc Tinh Xanh, a medley tape put out by Asia with Don Ho, Lam Thuy Van, and Kenny Thai holding down the vocal lines.

What makes this album stand out for me is the playful interaction between these three youngsters. Kenny is fantastic with his English; Don Ho is mesmerizing with his backup vocalizations; and Lam Thuy Van is fabulous in accompanying both male vocalists with her high pitch. Of course, Asia’s skillful arrangement works seamlessly to weave one tune to the next, especially with those electronic keyboard licks and up-tempo Latin rhythms.

Vocally, I just love the way the three trade lines with one another. Vu Thanh An’s “Bai Khong Ten Cuoi Cung” is a perfect example. Kenny and Lam Thuy Van kicks off the first verse, then Don Hon joins in at the chorus asking brokenheartedly, “Nay em hoi con duong em di do / con duong em theo do se dua em sang dau?” Lam Thuy Van replies sadly, “Mua ben chong se lam em khoc / se lam em nho nhung khi minh man nong.” Damn, that just cuts it.

And how could the ladies resist when Don Ho calls his lover in “Goi Ten Nguoi Yeu” at the end where he croons, “Roi anh se khoc / se khoc len goi long dau trien mien,” then cries his heart out with his voice. If he works on scatting, I am sure he can do it successfully. Another magnetizing piece is his Vietnamese rendition of “Unchained Melody” (“Mai Mai Yeu Em”) where his vocals ebb and flow around the mid-tempo beat. As for Kenny, no one does the Chinese translated tune, such as “There’s Only You In My Heart,” “I Love You More Than I Can Say,” and “Summer Kisses Winter Tears,” better than him. And who doesn’t love Lam Thuy Van for her exotic vocals, especially when she phrases, “The life’s unreal and the people are phony / And the nights can get so lonely / A single girl needs a lovely man to lean on.” Don’t you wish you could loan her your shoulder?

I could still remember when a friend of mine handed me this tape back in 92. I rocked it until I could sing along to every goddamn tune in it. Til this day, Lien Khuc Tinh Xanh is the only medley album I can jam to without getting bored because of the variation in production and diversity in song selection.

Phong Le’s “Lay Tien Cho Gai” is not bad for a homegrown production. The lyric is entertaining, and the beat is kind of tight too. He’s definitely better than that little Justin in Tinh Music. So Tinh should give him a shot.

Big up to Joseph for the link. Keep sending me the goodies y’all.

Hans Petter Moland’s The Beautiful Country recaptures the heart-wrecking experience of the boat-fleeing Vietnamese. With his understated charisma, Damien Nguyen—who plays an Amerasian escaping Viet Nam to find his American G.I. father—takes us on a boat ride that would leave our soul shattered, especially for those that had been through it. The hardest scene to watch is when Binh drops the body of his little brother Tam—plays by Tran Dang Quoc Thinh, an adorable little boy—into the sea. With the support of sexy Bai Ling, badass Tim Roth, and compassionate Nick Nolte, The Beautiful Country is a magnificent epic filled with bone-crushing emotions and striking visuals.