Visualgui.com

Ngoc Anh has a smoky yet sleepy voice. Depend on the tune, she either sounds intoxicating or snoring. Her newest album Romance Cho Anh (Tinh Khuc Phu Quang) juggles in between.

“Trong Anh Chop So Phan” is not a bad starter. The arrangement is vigorous. Her voice is exhilarating along the rock-inflected production. But then on “Chuyen Binh Thuong So 7,” the song is as mundane as its title suggests and her voice starts to get drowsy. The classical “Romance No.1” drifts off further into sleep and the retreated arrangement doesn’t help much either. “May Xua,” a duet between Ngoc Anh and Ha Anh Tuan, is perfect for brunch music. The tune opens with elevator keyboard, and then joins by fake trumpet, wimpy guitar and airline drums to the Caribbean. Their voices are simply bland and unaffected.

“Loi Rieu” picks up where the opening track left off. On the slow-pop arrangement, she is hypnotizing. “Romance No.2” is a standout piece in which she could ride the classical wave. The closeout is another version of “Trong Anh Chop So Phan.” The classical orchestration makes this version much more powerful than the first.