Friday, December 19, 2014

Hat Cho Tinh Yeu (To Sing With Love) - Khanh Ha and Ngoc Lan

Released in the year of 1990 by Khanh Ha Productions, this album combining two of the most celebrated female vocalists in Vietnamese popular music, Khanh Ha and Ngoc Lan, was a tremendous success and became one of the bestselling albums of the year.  With both of these Vietnamese pop music divas at the very top of their game during the time of its release, the album's tremendous level of success and massive sales really came about of no big surprise to anyone.  Ngoc Lan was riding high from the enormous successes with her pair of bestseller albums produced and released by the Giang Ngoc label during the late 1980s, Nguoi Yeu Dau (1987) and L'amour Tinh Ta (1988), topped with her stellar solo videotape that had been produced and released by May Productions, Nhu Em Da Yeu Anh (1990).  Khanh Ha was also enjoying the success of her recently formed production label, Khanh Ha Productions.  Since its inception in 1988, Khanh Ha Productions had released a series of top selling albums including her smash hit self-produced solo studio album, Mot Thuo Yeu Anh (1988), followed by another top selling solo studio album, Em Van Yeu Anh (1989).  

The quality in production of this album had, however, plenty of room for improvement.  Khanh Ha's performance on each track was nothing short of stellar.  However, Ngoc Lan's delivery of some of the tracks were somewhat lackluster.  This can be said especially with her performance on Trinh Cong Son's Tuong Rang Da Quen.  Of Ngoc Lan's performances on this album, I must say I prefer her deliveries of  Suoi Toc and Toi Dua Em Sang Song, written by Van Phung and Tran Thien Thanh (Nhat Truong).  

Khanh Ha, on the other hand, was spectacular on each performance.  I especially liked Trinh Cong Son's Ru Em Tung Ngon Xuan Nong and Marguarite Pham's Sao Danh Xa Em.  (Marguarite Pham is the same person as singer/political activist/columnist Nguyet Anh who used to perform at political rallies alongside the late Viet Dzung.)

I didn't care much for the photo album cover.  Khanh Ha's hairdo seemed so outdated.  And Ngoc Lan could have looked much better.  

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