Logicgui.com

When it comes to music, Thanh Thao doesn’t do cheap. Her latest album Thao (Vi Em Con Yeu) costs her four trips to the States, rings up the largest bill, and requires the most amount of time to complete in her entire career. Her effort didn’t go unnoticed. The album turns out to be a quality pop production, with some pretty damn fluid beat and catchy melody. It does, however, get old after a few spins.

Thao kicks off with a melancholic intro about a lost love (Quang Dung, totally), leading to one of two slow tracks in the album. “Vi Sao Chi Co Anh” is superior in vocals but disastrous in arrangement. The inclusion of “dan nhi” entirely killed the temperament, and the acoustic during the bridge seemed out of place. The other slow track, “Vi Em Con Yeu,” is definitely my favorite. It leaves me longing for more despondency from the vocalist.

Most of the tempo allegro tracks are infixed with intermittent rapping, which can be vexatious at times, especially in “Mai Mat Nhau Trong Doi.” Thanh Thao has already beaten her “bup be” image to the ground but contends to do so in “Bup Be Buon.” The song takes me on a vicious cycle of human emotions. I went from hating the song to totally digging it, then back to extremely hating it.

Kudos to Thanh Thao for willing to ditch out extra cash to ensure a quality album. Thao proves to be one of her stronger releases in quite some time.