Customer Reviews

Dengue Fever

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It's amazing that the late Cambodian superstars Sin Sisamouth & Ruos Srey Sothear are finally being acknowledged and appreciated outside of the Khmer community. Both are paid homage to on this debut CD from Dengue Fever. That being said, this is a brilliant CD in it's own right!! This group is exciting and fresh!! Lead singer Chhom Nimol(a star in Cambodia who apparently lives in L.A. now) is incredible and so is the band! I really hope they keep putting out music this good! The cover of the track from Ethiopiques was a really nice touch also! I highly recommend this CD to fans of asian pop & great rock-n-roll & well, to coin a hackneyed phrase, worldbeat!! I mean that in the best sense of the term! I hope they tour nationwide!!

This is my first time purchasing music from a modern day Khmer singer. I have always been reluctant to purchasing them due to either the singer, or the music. However; I couldn't help but try this album out because of the band. They are a great transformation from the traditional and sometimes outdated Cambodian bands that you find at Cambodian wedding receptions. This is definitely one of my most favorite cds, and one that I have a lot of fun with singing and dancing to (Hold my Hips, Pow Pow, Shave Your Beard, and New Year's Eve).

The only reason why I didn't give it a five star rating was because of the second track (I'm Sixteen). The second track is known by every Khmer people on the planet and is without a doubt one of the most challenging song to sing to. Despite her attempt, I truly felt Chhom Nimol sabotaged this classic rock n' roll track.

Overall, the music is great and it is definitely worth your money!

Dengue Fever is a unique band, without a doubt, and their debut album is spot-on. If you like any kind of world music -- Brazilian and Senegalese are what I'm usually down with -- you will appreciate this. I would compare to another great L.A. band with a syncretic (i.e. somewhat Americanized) sound, like Ozomatli, but the analogy is only apt in terms of concept, not in the sound. The previous descriptions of DF's music are about right -- '60s swinging surf music, kinda psychedelic sound, and amazing vocals, in Cambodian.

And to top it all off, their live show is even better.

I grew up with a family that listens to cambodian songs...although i am cambodia, i grew up here not speakin much of it, so i don't listen cambodian songs at all, because i don't really understand it. But when i heard about dengue fever..i was intrigue..i thought it was so cute seeing american people singing background vocals and playing the instrument for a cambodian lady. I 've heard most of the original songs that dengue fever resang, but with the recreate of vocals by adding in the band..i think this is great band, idea and CD...i think this band accentuate the life of what cambodian people are really about through their music with their unique combination of styles...we are fun and we love life..

If you haven't had a chance to check out this CD, you definitely should. The sound is really unique (if you're not familiar with Cambodian music) and amazingly beautiful.

The lead singer has a great voice and the musicians who back her up are all extremely talented.

It's become one of my favorite CDs in the car and at home.

This album transcends any currently playing mainstream radio. Amazingly good and although I'm unfamiliar with Khymer, I want to sing along or at the very least swing my hips to the music.

Definitly different, but also definitely great.

This album is incredible.

It's psychedelic asian music aka pretty ill sh**.

Take a different road. No more garage, man. Get the fever.

This is an album packed with good music. The singers voice is lovely (and her body ... she's hot!), the band is proffesional and the sound is a perfect mix.

It's easy to like, even I can't understand a word she's singing. I will look forward to get more from this band!

You should buy this CD, and listen to it a lot.

Given Dengue Fever's Cambodian lead singer, their love for Cambodian rock and the cover songs from the heyday of Khmer pop on this CD, it would be easy to mistake them for either a world beat revival band or worse, a one-trick novelty act. It would also be a major mistake that could rob you of one of the best musical experiences currently available.

The fact that the Holtzman brother's have an interesting back story, or that vocalist Chhom Nimol has a compelling story of her own is totally unimportant to enjoying this CD. The musicianship is fantastic, Nimol's voice soars and songs like "Hold My Hips" and "Shave Your Beard" are achingly beautiful pop. When they crank up the energy it is pure bliss.

Singing in Khmer could easily be a gimmick, but here it just proves what a naturally musical language Khmer actually is, and that the real depth of music isn't communicated by words anyway. This is brilliant, energetic, emotional pop.

It's the best elements of catchy tunes, psychedelia, and jazz. It's like some bizarre hybrid of T.Rex, Garage A Trois, Tommy James, and Molam Dub that works to joyful brilliance. I have a large music collection, and every time I pull out this CD, it ends up staying in by changer for weeks.

Warning, you'll want more than one of their CDs once you catch Dengue Fever. If I could put in words how much joy there is in this music, you wouldn't leave this page without ordering a copy.

heh i just got back from 10 days in cambodia...didn't get a chance to hit up any of the local music scenes but hearing this, i wish i had. anyway, this really is the yin to the second album's yang...mostly because once you're finished listening to "escape" you simply must have more of this intoxicating stuff.