Thuc dem moi biet dem dai
That tinh moi biet tinh dai hon dem
Mot doi sao mai chang quen
Vi tinh guc nga cho duyen lo lang

Thanks Joseph for sending me this suicidal shit! If your heart is broken, do not pick up Tam Doan’s Guc Nga Vi Yeu. You may have to kill your soul, if not yourself. Lucky for me, it is not a Truong Vu’s album. If he sings the title track, I would have started digging my own grave while listening to it. Tam Doan doesn’t sound too dramatic. In other words, she lacks the emotion and the pain to croon heart-shattering songs. I don’t blame her. In fact, I am happy for her because that means her marriage with Tien Dung is doing great. Not only her voice is soulless, but the productions from Thuy Nga’s main man, Tung Chau, are also pretty bland. The duet with Manh Quynh in “Go Cua” is the least tragic vong co (opera) I have ever heard. No chemistry and no sentimental exchange whatsoever between the two. She sings vong co like reading a poem complemented by the mournful accompaniment. After all, her album may sound boring, but her life off the mic is good. It’s rare to find a singer who is willing to give up her career for her love. It’s time for Tam Doan to switch to dance pop. It would fit her mood better for now or maybe until the relationship turns sour. Gotta go with the feelings, baby!

Like its name suggested, VariAsian is a-cappella group consisted of various Asian (Vietnamese, Filipino, and Korean) Americans. From a quick glance at their brief bios, most of the members had sung in choir in their school years; therefore, they have their chops down from gospel to R. & B. to soul. What sets them apart, however, is the Asian synergy they bring to the music, and their debut shows some potentials. Their version of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” is groovy without the disco arrangement backing them up. The beatbox and vocal harmony do the job well. On the slower piece, Lisa Lisa’s “All Cried Out,” their strong voices, which drawn mostly from gospel, give the popular tune a fresh vibe. The most disappointed tune is the cover of Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly.” That elementary rap has to go. It ruins the ladies’ singings. They need to bring Wyclef Jean on board if they wanted a hip-hop verse. Too bad, “Nguoi Oi & Yeu Nhau” the only Vietnamese tune featured on the entire album. While the harmony is great, the lead singer sounds almost flat on the first piece. I am still rooting for my 5 Dong babes when it comes to Vietnamese a cappella. While their debut is not so bad (except for too many popular tunes being covered), I am not sure what they have in store for the next release. One thing we can reassure, they do not sing with broken English.

Thanks Joseph!

Here are some of my favorites:

Black KKK (That is one wicked skit)
The Niggar Family (This one is mad crazy)
Keepin’ it Real (Man, he is trippin’)
The Internet (Just love the concept and the spam busters)

“Why is abbreviation is such a long word?” Why do we use redundant words such as honest truth? And if we rearrange the letters in funeral, we get real fun, which the opposite meaning. These are some of the absurdities in the English language that graphic designer and typographer Teresa Monachino points out in her Words Fail Me—a book inspired by her Italian mother who had trouble understanding the idiosyncrasy of English. With clean and simple design, witty wordplay, and clever use of typography, Monachino illustrates how those words fail her.

Watched Little Man last night. The film is a typical Wayans Brothers’ standard; therefore, you should know what to expect. You just have to leave your senses at the door before walking into the theater. It’s not a bad thing to do when you just need some mindless chuckles. Especially after a long and hard day at work, you just want to laugh away without having to think much. As tasteless as the jokes are—when Vanessa (Kerry Washington) kisses “Little Man” Calvin (Marlon Wayans) on his tummy, he pushes her head down further—they speaks out what most men think but never share. On a parenting note, I am not sure how the film is passed for PG-13 rating, when the content is filled with sexual comics.

Yes! It’s not only a crime, but also a sin to purchase bootleg Paris By Night‘s DVDs. Mr. To Van Lai even quoted the bible in his VNCR’s interview to prove his point. We should buy original products from now on or else we would go straight to hell. Applying the bible on business is a clever move, but only works on film, like what Samuel L. Jackson does in Pulp Fiction. He reads a verse before he shoots the person.

Visualgui.com has been the space for me to discuss music because I couldn’t find any other Vietnamese voices, until now. Allow me to introduce Thang D. Nguyen who is a writer, saxophonist, and music critic (mostly modern jazz and Vietnamese pre-war songs). His bio reads: “Thang D. Nguyen is a writer, editor, and communications consultant. He pens frequently on Indonesian and Asian affairs for international and major Asian newspapers. His publications include three books: Indonesia Matters, The Malaysian Journey, and The Indonesian Dream.” His essays could be read on his blog at Thang D. Nguyen’s Column. While he has a wide range of topics, what intrigues me the most is his knowledgeable view on jazz.

Here is another music writer who visits Visualgui.com. Don’t know what he does for a living but he writes music as a hobby like me. He has a very interesting range.

Hit me up, if there’s more Vietnamese voices out there.

I apologize for making some of you weeping yesterday with the heart-wrecking ballads. To make up for it, I have uploaded a really cool piece from Clarence “Frogman” Henry called “Ain’t Got No Home.” I just dig the way he plays with his vocals to imitate the girl and the frog. I came across the track on the incredible Big Ol’ Box of New Orleans. If you could get your hand on the box sets, get it. You’ll be experiencing the Mardi Gras’ flavors—including jazz, blues, rock-n-roll, funk, R&B, gospel, and zydeco—right at your own crib.

There’s also a few songs you can check out at NPR.

Long day at work? Just kick back to these two tracks:
Nancy Sinatra’s “As Tears Go By“
Roberta Flack’s “Gone Away“

In addition, check out Truong Ky’s piece on Don Ho (part 1).

In 1993, Don Ho and Lam Thuy Van made a record together when they were both on top of their game. Du Nang Co Mong Manh was the album I played the most between 93-94. Although most of the recordings are outdated now because of the translated tunes, two still remain timeless. The title track, which is written by Le Minh Bang, is one. Don Ho’s languorous flow deep inside the rumba arrangement makes Thai Chau’s and Nguyen Khang’s later rendition sound stiff and stilted. The light touch and effortlessness in his delivery—especially when he sings low, almost in a whispering voice—is still unmatchable. Duc Huy’s “Nhu Da Dau Yeu” is one of the most recorded ballads among the young singers, yet Don Ho’s version still stands out the most for me. What makes his singing so seductive and persuasive is the soulfulness he brings to it. He comes off like a real man when phrases, “Anh den voi em voi tat ca tam hon,” and holds on the last word of “Em den voi anh voi tat ca trai tim…” with love and passion. His technical skills were flawless from the breath control to crescendo to the way he leaves the notes floating in the air. On top of all that, he always sings his heart out like a man with soul and sensibility.