5 Dong Ke, an eccentric name, signifies the individual characteristics from a group that made up of four (the fifth member, Giang Son, has moved on to be a solo songwriter) young and voluptuous ladies whose gorgeous voices blend together seamlessly to create breathtaking harmonies. What sets these girls (Bao Lan, Hong Ngoc, Thuy Linh and Lan Huong) apart from other bands is their willingness to explore new path. Their latest album, Tu Tinh Ca, which took two years to prepare, showcases their jaw-dropping a cappella techniques. And the most striking part about the band is the way these four talented musicians breathe together with a kind of connection that can only be accomplished through love, respect, practice and devotion.

Through Tu Tinh Ca, the girls transform familiar songs into their personal statements by daringly maneuvering around old song structures to create new sounds. With perfect intonations and rich melodic lines, they give Trinh Cong Son’s “Tien Thoai Luong Nan” a pure rejuvenation. Their a-cappella rendition, which filled with exquisite vocal harmonies, is one of the finest presentations on this particular composition. Their interpretation of “Ngau Nhien” is also an astonishing invigoration of Trinh’s work. The rhythm section is silky smooth; the tonal detail is exotic; and the snaring beatbox is off the hook. When the tempo doubles on the second half, the delivery is even more irresistible. The flow becomes instantaneous, and then the wordless vocals end the song with a stimulating novelty.

Besides Trinh’s music, 5 Dong Ke also recovers popular pieces of Nguyen Anh 9 and Tran Trinh. On the medley “Tu Tinh Ca”—which consisted of Nguyen Anh 9’s “Buon Oi Xin Chao Mi,” “Co Don,” “Loi Ve” and “Xin Nhu Lan May Trang”—the voices weave in and out of one another, complement each other’s thoughts, support each other’s lines, back up each other’s verses, share each other’s soul, and create a heart-to-heart musical conversation. Plus the changing in tempo, the whistling and the fingers snapping permeate tremendous energy and spontaneous vibes into the elivening performance. Even though their version of Tran Trinh’s timeless “Le Da” (lyrics by Ha Huyen Chi) is not the best I have heard, it is certainly a distinctive one.

With fruitful collaboration and tight integration between the members, the girls have created some of the most compelling and refreshing works in such a minimal style. Tu Tinh Ca is definitely impressive, but the length of the album is way too short (only four tracks, a medley and a bonus). An instant replay is almost required after the first spin. With a short list of tracks and without complicated orchestration, two years to complete the recordings seem like a long time, but the outcome is rewarding. It shows that the girls have invested a tremendous amount of time perfecting their vocal chords.

The Eatery section has not been updated for a while not because I ran out of tasty foods, but because I dropped my digital camera, and it is no longer functioning. Bun Moc is the last bowl captured at the commoner’s place in NYC. Although Bun Moc is not as distinctive as Bun Goi Gia or as savory as Bun Mam, it has its own flavor. The broth is a bit bland, but the fishballs are not so bad when plunging into straight fishsauce with a splash of lime. Anyway, this is temporarily the last entry for food until I get my hands on a new camera.

From a technical standpoint, Nghi Van is better than most of her peers (young pop singers). Her breath control is nearly flawless, and her bittersweet voice is distinctive enough to stand apart. In Nghi Van Vol.3, her cordial deliveries are compelling on songs with sweet and light-touched emotions, such as Bao Truong’s “Sao Doi Ngoi,” Viet Anh’s “Nhung Con Duong Vang Anh,” and Tran Tien’s “Em Van Nhu Ngay Xua.” On Tuong Van’s “Dem Lao Sao,” Nghi Van and Tuan Hung give the romantic ballad a delicious duet. Their strident quality works marvelously well together. Oh the flip side, she is not expressive enough to make a personal statement like the soulful Ngoc Khue or the sultry Khanh Linh. On Quoc Bao’s “Dem Hoa,” the bossa-nova piano solo is more riveting than her vocal performance. Even though there is room for improvement, the album is still outstanding. Maybe she just needs more drama (not the kind of Nguyen Hong Nhung’s drama though) to reach deeper into the music.

In contrast to Nghi Van, Hong Hanh articulates her sentiment quite well on her latest album, Canh Nau Trong Dem. She refreshes Nguyen Anh 9’s composition, “Mua Thu Canh Nau,” with a heartfelt delivery over the blues-inflected groove. She also revives Trong Kien’s “Got Chan Phieu Du” with a Latin-jazz rendition. With flows reminiscent of My Le, Hong Hanh gives romantic ballads, including Quoc An’s “Vang Trang Ky Niem,” Minh Khang’s “Danh Roi Tinh Yeu” and “Dong Song Khong Troi,” some sweet sensations. In fact, the album is perfect for the young and in-love (or out-of-love) listeners, despite a few banal tunes were included.

When Macromedia announces its new Studio 8, the major buzz is on Flash. Fortunately, Dreamweaver also makes a fantastic release. The obvious improvement is CSS rendering in the design view. Complex CSS layouts look much closer to browsers than the previous release. In the code view, which I use the most, Macromedia finally included the “Code Collapse” features to help designers organize their codes. In addition to the faster performances in the background (site cache and FTP), the new “Tabbed Window” (like Firefox and Safari) is a tremendous enhancement to the workflow. Dreamweaver 8 is definitely worth upgrading.

Any ragtime lovers in here? Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag” is one of my favorite rag pieces. Joplin plays it the way he wrote it; therefore, the timing is perfect and the tone is crisp.

Quang Ly only covers materials that he can fully convey. As a result, almost any song he performed hits the mark. I like the way a Visualgui.com commenter describes Quang Ly: “He’s handsome, neat, nice, but a bit picky in choosing his repertoires.” From looking at his most current photo (found on the web), he sure is a fine gentleman at the age of fifty-four. I have never met him before, so I don’t know how nice or neat he is, but based on his Noi Nho Mua Dong, he is definitely meticulous in his song selections. With a list of compositions from highly respected songwriters such as Trinh Cong Son, Phu Quang, Doan Chuan and Tu Linh, Quang Ly revives these timeless tunes with his unmistakable sensitivity.

Quang Ly’s distinctiveness is in his relaxed and imaginative presentation. In the album-opener “Ha Noi Dem Tro Gio” (poem by Chu Lai and music by Trong Dai), he paints Ha Noi’s musical landscapes with his pure and passionate vocals. When he croons, “Ha Noi oi, ta nho khong quen / Ha Noi oi, trong trai tim ta” (“Oh Ha Noi, I always remember (and never forget) / Oh Ha Noi, you’ve always in my heart”), his unequivocal delivery shows he means every word he says. In addition, the gorgeous, smooth-toned saxophone solo gives the composition an aesthetic enhancement. Trinh Cong Son’s “Doan Khuc Thu Ha Noi” is another mesmerizing composition that is filled with Ha Noi’s luxurious details. Despite how many singers have tackled Trinh’s music, Quang Ly’s take on Trinh’s work is as fresh and invigorating as it was upon first relinquish. His calm and unadorned phrasing transports every bar with breathless ease. Elsewhere, he sings with tremendous sentiment, over the simple but soulful arrangement, to accentuate the lyrics in “Thuyen va Bien” (poem by Xuan Quynh and music by Phan Huynh Dieu), but the effortlessness is still under control. This is a technique that not too many singers can accomplish; yet Quang Ly mastered it.

Noi Nho Mua Dong is an album that makes every track counts. There is no wasted space on the record. From the title track (poem by Thoa Phuong and music by Phu Quang), Tran Tien’s “Toc Gio Thoi Bay,” Phan Huynh Dieu’s “Thu Tinh Cuoi Mua Thu,” Pham Trong Cau’s “Mua Thu Khong Tro Lai” to Doan Chuan and Tu Linh’s “Goi Gio Cho May Ngan Bay,” Quang Ly gives unforgettable performances one after another. However, he could have not done it without the hands of the skillful producers who laid down elegant and ingenious arrangements to match up with his voice. If singers were picky in choosing the right music to fit their voice, it is highly recommended that they do so to bring listeners a tight set – song for song – recordings.

“Nu Hon Goi Gio” is a masterful display of Quang Ly’s sensitivity to Hoang Viet Khanh’s passion for traditional folk. Ly’s efforless singing breathes fresh air into the quirky arrangement. His warm and exquisite timbre combined with orchestration’s exotic sounds make the piece irresistible.

A striking collection of sceneries throughout Viet Nam. Isn’t she gorgeous?

I am thrilled with the amount of emails praising the “Music Comment” section. The messages are encouraging and motivating. For instance, one reader writes, “Thank you for utilizing your website as a means to voice your passions. It has opened up an outlet for fine music reviews from Vietnamese Americans like you and I.” That is exactly my goal for this site.

I’ve also received emails recommending me albums that have been posted on this site. It’s not you fault since I have written more than 100 pieces and they all hidden. If you are interesting in reading just music reviews, you can click on the “Music Comment” on the right under “Departments” and use the “Previous page” and “Next Page” at the bottom to navigate. If you would like to find out if there is an album already written, simply use the search box. One of the reasons I get rid of everything else on the homepage is to encourage the use of the search box. For example, just type in Hong Nhung Khu Vuon Yen Tinh (this post is also listed in the search), and you’ll get various results on those keywords. Of course, the album is also included. So stick around and have fun surfing and reading.

Here are a few fantastic songs for your enjoyment:

Smooth jazz “Autumn Leaves” performs in French (lyrics: Jacques Prévert) and English (lyrics: Johnny Mercer) by Singaporean singer Jacintha.

A magnificent presentation by Tam Khanh on “Mua Thu Ve Giua Paris.” Her delivery is filled with passion and emotion.

Hoang Trang’s “Hoai Nho.” What a splendid piece!

“Loi Nhan Dai Thu” (poem by Song Viet, music by Ngan Hanh ). A gorgeous performance by Bao Yen.

Visualgui’s logo has been redesign for a stronger look. As you can see, this site continues to be refined instead of complete redesigned. Last week, I revamped the visuals. This week, I revised the logo. The changes are subtle, but they do keep the site stay fresh.