Khanh Ha – Tinh Khuc Ngo Thuy Mien

For overseas Vietnamese entertainers, Khanh Ha is one of the most successful singers with the most albums ever recorded. Her latest solo Tinh Khuc Ngo Thuy Mien is the sixty-fifth album produced by her very own Khanh Ha Productions. Despite bootlegs and low prices of CDs coming in from Vietnam, any record with Khanh Ha’s hologram stamped on the cover remains the most expensive of all in the Vietnamese music stores. Even big productions like Asia and Thuy Nga wouldn’t dare raise their prices as high as Khanh Ha’s production. How does she have so much confidence in her own products while other singers are struggling to get a record deal?

Khanh Ha has established herself in the business and her confidence comes from her voice. Her elegant style has captured Vietnamese listeners for more than twenty-five years and will continue to do so in the next twenty-five years. She knows that if she puts out an expensive product, the product has to live up to the price. From the production to the vocalization, Tinh Khuc Ngo Thuy Mien is well crafted. She has successfully articulated Ngo Thuy Mien’s music to its full potential. The most outstanding track has to be “Mot Coi Tinh Phai,” in which she has truly captured his essence. When I close my eyes, the images of the song are visible as she describes a picturesque scene of a lonely fall in Paris, “Chieu qua song Sein / co con chim bay cuoi troi / cat len tieng ca ra roi / cuoc tinh sau khon nguoi.”

Fall must be an inspiring season for Ngo Thuy Mien. Both “Noi Dau Muon Mang” and “Trong Noi Nho Muon Mang” demonstrate his passion for the fall season in his descriptive lyrics. Khanh Ha, once again, expresses his words gorgeously as she sways the listeners with her vocals’ manipulation. While she pours her heart on “Noi Dau Muon Mang” to convey the painful soul, her singing is calm on “Trong Noi Nho Muon Mang” to mashup with the tranquil beats. “Mot Doi Lang Quen” is another quiet song, and she flows soothingly to the romantic arrangements.

On the more experimental tracks, Khanh Ha teams up with Thuy Anh for a feel of the blues on “Tinh Khuc Mua Xuan.” With Ngo Thuy Mien’s classic, “Dau Tinh Sau,” her musical producer gives it a makeover up-tempo beat while she makes it sound fresh with her signature style. Speaking of her signature delivery, “Mien Khuc” fits that category completely. It’s the right vocals for the right melodies.

Tinh Khuc Ngo Thuy Mien marks a successful collaboration among writer (Ngo Thuy Mien), singer (Khanh Ha), and musical producers (Duy Cuong, Nguyen Quang, Duy Hanh, and Peter Siebert). Break out the wine glasses, uncork a bottle of Merlot, pop in Tinh Khuc Ngo Thuy Mien, sit back, and enjoy the intimate atmosphere of an evening right at home.