July 7th, 2008
Just when I thought Paris by Night couldn’t suck any more, it sucks even more with Nhac Yeu Cau. Minh Tuyet and Bang Kieu slaughtered “Di Vang.” Cam Ly’s debut was unimpressive. Y Lan castrated Quang Le with her vocal in “Tinh Hoai Huong.” The production is still kissing Mai Thien Van’s ugly ass. Even Quang Dung and Khanh Ha failed to emote Dieu Huong’s ballads. Damn glad I didn’t waste 25 bucks on this piece of crap.
June 22nd, 2008
Nguyen Khang wins big at the 2008 LogicGui Music Awards. The soulful vocalist walked away with the “Best Male Artist” and “Album of the Year” awards. Ngoc Ha was named “Best Female Artist” of 2008. See the complete list of nominees and winners.
June 17th, 2008
The History
Back in June of 2004, I noticed that there isn’t a music award for Vietnamese artists both mainland and overseas. So I decided to establish one of my own. Thus, the LogicGui Music Awards was born.
The Rules
A calendar year spans from June of last year to June of this year. Nominees for “Song of the Year” are selected from popular singles both old and new. To be eligible for “Best Artist,” an artist must release at least one album, either a solo or collaboration, within the calendar year. “Best Artist” nominees are selected solely on vocal quality. “Album of the Year” must be an original release and not “Best of” compilation.
The Selection
All nominees and winners are selected primarily from my personal favorites, perceived popularity, and opinions of an elite panel of musicians, reviewers, music collectors, karaoke singers, shower singers, and Vietnamese music listeners alike.
Winners are in Bold.
Music Video of the Year
Best Video Performance by a Solo Artist, Vocal Collaboration, or Comedian
Best Female Artist
Best Male Artist
Song of the Year
Album of the Year
June 13th, 2008
Quang Dung has lost his mojo. His latest release Va contains all the right ingredients, a great song list and a collaboration with Le Quang. But it lacks the essential component, an aesthetic vocal.
Each track is arranged in the intimate style of “nhac thinh phong” to allow his vocal to take center stage. So was the intention. Instead, his voice becomes expressively weak, especially when he implores us to notice his skills on the high notes. Through his exaggerated effort to prove himself, he sounds almost incompetent and inauthentic in his own genre. The only track worth a spin is “Da Khuc Cho Tinh Nhan.” Even then, Nguyen Khang’s rendition is way more hypnotic.
Quang Dung’s first US release fails miserably to distinguish itself. The album turns out to be as tasteless as its title.
June 9th, 2008
Minh Hang not only has the looks but she can also act. Her role in Goi Giac Mo Ve has earned her HTV Award’s “Best Female Actress in a Leading Role.” But when it comes to singing, she’s no award-winning material.
Her debut album Mot Vong Trai Dat is a total failure. She gravely lacks vocal expressiveness, bears no vibrato or breath control, and has absolutely no range. On the title track, her amateurish delivery sounds karaoke at best. Nevermind the incredibly shallow lyrics, most tracks contain either blatant dialogs or lame rapping, which makes the stagnant production sound even deader. Even her chemistry with Tim couldn’t save the album.
So she’s hard on the ears, but at least she’s easy on the eyes.
June 4th, 2008
The last time I listened to Hikaru Utada was in 2001, when my ex blasted her album Distance at ear-damaging decibel on a $20 Wal-mart boom box. I was instantly blown away by her vocals and alluring melodies.
Seven years later, the pop star is still going strong. Her single “Beautiful World” picked up the “Best Video From a Film” award at the 2008 MTV Japan Video Music Awards.
Her latest release Heart Station is a sensational pop album. The stellar production is notorious in that it includes a rock track written for children as well as a track about death. The Enya-inflicted “Teiku 5,” like death itself, ends abruptly without any warning. Yes, I mean abruptly, in the middle of the song, like a corrupted MP3 download. Only Hikki is innovative enough to incorporate such spiritual depth into her album. Another personal favorite is “Prisoner of Love,” where her raw emotion is felt almost the instant her vocals kick off.
Hikaru Utada is perhaps the greatest female artist of the J-Pop movement. She’s best on my list over Ayumi Hamasaki any day. I’m just ecstatic that this brilliant vocalist and song writer is still cutting records and remain at the top of her game.
If you haven’t the slightest idea who she is, perhaps you’re familiar with her breakthrough album and single “First Love.”
May 29th, 2008
I don’t care much for his rumored sexual orientation (evident in the DVD cover) or his cocksure personality, but the dude sure can sing. His live show DVD Thuong Hoai Ngan Nam contains many of the “nhac sen” ballads that normally would bore me to death. However, Dam Vinh Hung kept things interesting by pouring his emotions on every song and making them his. Granted, he sounded a little too gay at times, especially in “Dem Lang Thang.” Still, the DVD is definitely worth checking out, particularly for the reunion of Huong Lan and Thai Chau in “Lau Dai Tinh Ai,” a feat I didn’t think was possible after their rendezvous back in the days. Moreover, it’s refreshing to see live performances after all the lip-syncing crap on Thuy Nga and Asia videos.
May 17th, 2008
I’ve had it up to my neck with the sleazy collaborations of Cam Ly and Quoc Dai and their lousy covers of “nhac sen.” If they shove another album like this in my face, I’m gonna have to strangle somebody. Seriously, enough is enough.
Firstly, I can’t fathom why they’re branding this “Việt Cộng con” Quoc Dai so much. The dude’s got a weak voice that’s average at best. Secondly, gone is the vehement Cam Ly of “Bo Ben La,” “Pho Cu Vang Em,” and “Vong Co Buon.” What’s left is an uninspired singer with stale, karaoke-esque vocals seriously lacking emotional connection to the songs. My advice, stick with Minh Vy’s ballads and stay the hell away from “nhac sen.” Please!
May 15th, 2008
In his latest album Hanh Phuc Cuoi, Dam Vinh Hung steers away from “nhac sen” and returns to his flawless execution of tempo allegro ballads. Almost every track is accompanied by the acoustic, and the dynamic variations in these tracks render them so addictive that one spin won’t do much justice. In “Pho Vang Em,” he makes an exquisite transition from adagio and launches into the chorus with great passion. His note augmentation is especially fitting here. On the title track, he uses the accompaniment of the piano to mourn a deceased lover while exhibiting a masterful vibrato. Unfortunately, I was totally turned off by the reference to his lover as “anh” when he questions “Nguoi tinh oi sao anh no ra di.” Perhaps the gender disparity in the lyrics is intentional, and Mr. Dam is finally coming out of the closet. The weakest track is “Dung So,” where his gay-ass, feministic vocals is flat out scary. Dam Vinh Hung has always been successful in putting his emotions on every note of every song. Hanh Phuc Cuoi is no different. It is one of the best albums of the year and unarguably a must-have for those who enjoy his music.
May 5th, 2008
The good thing about a war theme show is that it includes many of the best songs ever written. The bad thing is that these songs have been recycled so many times by so many singers that they have become extremely boring. Asia 58 - La Thu Tu Chien Truong is just that. Extremely boring.
Don’t get me wrong, I find the letters written by soldiers from the battle fields very powerful. However, the warfare vernacular used by the MCs throughout just totally threw me off, probably because I didn’t understand half of it. Even Thuy Duong lost her usual charm as MC. Her breasts looked slightly bigger than two mosquito bites in those dresses. And you just can’t expect to be charming with breasts like those. Put Lam Thuy Van and newcomer Bich Van up there, they’ve got huge “charmers.” The inclusion of “Bomb Lady” Duong Nguyet Anh was simply brilliant. She brought credibility and femininity to the show. In fact, she looked better than any of the female singer on stage, young or old.
The program included mostly medleys of 2 songs performed by 2 singers in succession, a technique mastered by Asia to ensure a more inclusive song list. Again, as timeless as these songs may be, they have been covered so many times that the only way to make them fresh again is by singing them naked on stage (except for Y Phuong and Trish, because that’s just gross). Even the dynamic duet of Ngoc Ha and Nguyen Khang couldn’t capture the romanticism of “Chan Troi Tim.”
I just can’t stand the look on Trish’s face during the fashion show number. Just wanna smack her across the face. Is it just my imagination or you can totally see through Ho Hoang Yen’s dress in “Dem Cuoi Cung”? I’m glad Dang The Luan decided to abandon his diseased vibrato. He sounded much less like a sheep this time around.
One of the best parts of the program is the comedy by Hong Dao and Quang Minh, featuring their 2 daughters. You are almost always guaranteed a good laugh, a good cry, and a meaningful message every time they perform. Also, the stage design was spectacular throughout the program, magnificently recreating the rural battle terrains.
I really wish La Thu Tu Chien Truong would have a greater impact on me emotionally. Despite an original theme and a great song selection, the show failed short of being memorable. Well, for me at least!
