Customer Reviews

Rough Guide to the Music of Vietnam

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On the Rough Guide musical tour of the world, next stop is Vietnam! And as usual they've excelled in offering a CD full of great music that's evocatively representative, widely ranging, and eminently listenable. From contemporary pop songs to time-honored folk lyrics, from popularly traditional melodies to globally-influenced innovations, this CD will take you on a crash tour of one of the most exciting musical landscapes on the planet (and the stuff people in Vietnam are really listening to). If you've never heard Vietnamese music before, you can't find a better intro than this album. On the other hand, if you've been a big fan of Vietnam's incredible music for years, you'll appreciate this fine selection and find a few surprises--Vietnamese Blues? "Rider in the Sky" on the dan bao recorded poolside in Saigon? You'll only hear it here! But every track is golden in its own way, lovingly handpicked by the compiler as is standard practice with Rough Guide CDs.

Speaking of the compiler, Paul Fisher's liner notes are well-written and do the job nicely of introducing each performer and singer while contextualizing and placing the music within the overall musical culture of Vietnam--no stuffy musicological details, just the right amount of background so that the listener can pretty much know and appreciate what's playing. And the tracks are introduced in the order that they appear on the CD (a common sense arrangement that some Rough Guide CDs have gotten a bit too fancily experimental with), so it's easy to follow along with the music--at least the first time, and with this music, it'll be the first time of many!

If you're looking for something different, this CD fits the bill.

This music is quite varied, ranging from ancient, traditional songs to modern pop. If you are not used to Asian music, these rhythms and harmonies may seem pretty exotic. Even on the pop songs, the vocals will sound very different from Western pop. The quality of all the performances is very high. The dexterity of the instrumentalists and the range and control of some of the vocalists is stunning. The sound quality is generally quite good also. The sound on one outdoor performance may not be the best, but the performance is a classic and the recording makes me regret I wasn't there with the rest of the enthusiastic audience.

The CD, A Rough Guide to the Music of Vietnam, is a good way for young Vietnamese Americans to become more acquainted with the heritage of the country they came from.