Ha Tran – Ca Khuc Tran Tien
Ha Tran apparently realizes the disaster of going overboard with the production on her Communication ’06. With her new release, Ca Khuc Tran Tien, she scales all the way back to a minimal approach. Electric guitar is the main instrument and the beats are mostly spare and ambient. Wise decision.
“Ra Ngo Tung Kinh” is a great starter. Although the production is very subtle, you could hear the temple bell ringing, voices of the children chanting, organic sounding, electric guitar licks, zither plucking and clap-like drums all come together to create an atmospheric vibe. Best of all, Ha Tran’s angelic voice never drowns in the production. “Ngau Hung Pho” sets in a straightforward Latin rhythmic and her vocals ebb and flow effortlessly along with the guitars. “Mot Minh” is an unadorned beauty. She starts off with the first few bars naked and then the simple plucking guitar joins in to allow her to pour out her heart and soul.
The major flaw of the album is that Ha Tran allows too many guest spots and they just interrupt the flow. Hoa Tran isn’t contributing anything outstanding. “Lien Khuc Chi Toi” is saved by the hypnotic beat and her gorgeous rendition of “La Dieu Bong.” Tung Duong is also a disappointment. His restrained delivery on “Doc Huyen Cam” is utterly awkward. The album would have been better if Ha Tran is the only one to run the show.
Hà Trần có một vẻ đẹp xấu xí!
That’s not nice, but I can’t disagree. :)
Donny la`m Nhie^n bat cuoi khi click vao cai link hi`nh cua “disagree” :)
You may come to the show and see her performing on October 27, 2008 (http://www.my-hope.org). I went to the first shown in 2007. I like her voice when she sings live but dislike her north accent when she talks. It is so different than my north Vietnamese friends.
Please spread the words for this one.
http://www.whausa.org/
Thank you Donny
I totally agree with you. Except the songs sung by Ha Tran, the rest is just terrible. I wonder when she is going to realize that dragging Hoa Tran along will not do any good to her career.
I typically like Tung Duong but he is surprising bad in this album.
David Trần sounded khùng khùng! Cứ nghĩ là lạ, là mới mà thật ra là khùng! What kind of music is that? Hà Trần spoke English, Trời!
Oh man, you’re cracking me up. I am listening the song on repeat and can’t stop laughing. You’re crazy, Nhien, but not that “khung khung.” :)
Ha Tran!!!! giong hat dieu luyen, day suc song nhung khong co hon…..(tua nhu Thai Hien hat hay nhung khong ru hon nguoi!!)Ha Tran dung noi toi thich hon…mot trong nhung giong Bac chua(vinegar) hiem co.
i’ve just listened “Ngau hung pho”, but I really adore her voice :).
Completely agree with you! Tung Duong is not suitable for Tran Tien music. Tran Thai Hoa is a supper-normal guy in music. And David Duy is such an idiot.
i can’t get enough of “ra ngo tung kinh” but i don’t know what the song is about. “nhang nho” is great too.
i love david tran’s bad viet accent. so raw.
hoa tran is “super-normal” … that’s not necessary a bad thing in this case. “lien khuc chuyen toi” was perfect for him … subdued… peaceful… i like the ca dao that was intertwined in at the end. lovely.
but y’all right… hoa tran and tung duong does not deliver in the solo tracks.
i’m just psyched that ms. tran thu ha came out with another album!
Hoa Tran and David Tran should keep their day jobs. Their participation in this album made it amateurish.
I like the comment by ” I love Phoung Thanh”….He/She likes TTH but made the point that He/She loves Phuong Thanh…and yet ,misspelled Phuong …may be deliberately..lol
It is obviously a common word to misspell by Vietnamese who have been oversea many years.
Yes I like to point to the fact that I love PhuongThanh b/c she’s not seen very favorably amongst this crowd of sophisticated music listening folk.
In any case… can anybody figure out what “ra ngo tung kinh” is about? please enlightenment me… it bugs me to like something i don’t understand.
and yeah… OverSeasViet pride (hence forth denoted as OSVpride).
I love every song in Trần Tiến 2008 album.
Back up vocalists are supberb!
Except for Tùng Dương, he is too much, he is trying so hard! Nghe hơi mệt…
I always skip the 2 songs he sang in that album… (Điệp Khúc Tình Yêu & Độc Huyền Cầm)!
Guitar arrangements are awesome!
Anybody who loves this album is my soulmate!
So far anybody I know did not enjoy this album…Too bad!
I also love every song in this album. Ha Tran is utterly convincing in every song she performs. I think Tran Tien and Ha Tran are a musical phenomenon comparable to that of Trinh Cong Son and Khanh Ly in the 1970s (I know, I am showing my age).
Those who complain about Ha Tran’s accent do not know what they miss. She sings like a true Hanoian, and maybe that’s why she is so moving and soulful when she expresses the longings, the pains and the memories that Tran Tien expresses for his hometown.
Enjoy!
Somebody asked what Ra Ngo Tung King is about. I love the song, and don’t pretend that I understand it. I just found it daring, cheeky, innocent and at the same time erotic. And Ha Tran’s voice conveys all these beautifully, and for the first time I discovered a sensual quality in that voice that is rare in Vietnamese singers.
Tran Tien is an exceptional songwriter and Ha Tran is an exceptional singer. Much has been said about the “technical” quality of her voice but she is also soulful, adventurous, and innovative.
I can’t wait for more from Tran Tien and Ha Tran.