Top 5 CDs of April 2009

1) Vit Hyper - muk ngai lhai jai lhork luang
2) Tai Orrathai - kon nai kwarm kid hord
3) Nidnoi Nantaporn - mai aow pee chai
4) Bua Bunchitar - yoo tee nhai jai kor kid tueng
5) Earn The Star - yah mong karm kwarm sei jai

MV : "Tode tarn kong karn ma sai" by Takkatan Cholada ตั๊กแตน ชลดา

My current favourite Takkatan song, playing this a lot at the moment!

MV : "Tae korn ton nee lae talord pai" by Earn The Star เอิร์น เดอะสตาร์

Looking and sounding good as always, its Earn The Star.

CD : Bew Kalayanee - kumlung jai jark dan klai

Listed as volume 3 of Bew for R-Siam though actually her 4th album for the label. I am a big Bew Kalayanee fan and a fan of her strong rock edged lukthung and can't decide if Bew is my 3rd or 4th favourite lukthung singer at the moment, maybe this album can help me out. Why do i like Bew anyway? Well its the songs.

An example of a great Bew song is "Kumlung jai jark dan klai", a slow song with a brooding tune behind it, slowly building to a powerfully sung chorus. Its a great song though "Itcha" is the album's highest point though in many ways is a similar song. A slowly building song starting off fairly quiet and low-key but ending up in a chorus to die for. One of the best songs of the year so far in fact.

"Pho chey" is a fast rocky number which starts the album off, its very reminiscent of a Parn Thanaporn song, especially when Parn is in "lukthung mode". Bew can handle songs of all tempos well though she is best at the slower ballad-like song. This album is mostly just like that, "Ber sum rong" for example. Bew sings it well, she has a powerful voice yet also seems to include some warmth in there somehow.

"Nok rai peak" starts off quite dramatically with plenty of atmosphere before erupting into some big guitar chords. This is a big and chunky album full of good stuff. Plenty of subtle moments too. So 3rd or 4th. 3rd easily and if she keeps going on like this there may be further promotions.

Rating : 9.5/10

Favourite songs : Kumlung jai jark dan klai, Itcha

MV : "Num tai kao" by Ying Thitikarn หญิง ธิติกานต์

Nice song by Ying off her volume 4 album.

MV : "Soo kwan hua jai" by Tai Orratai ต่าย อรทัย

Happy Thai New Year! To celebrate here is my current favourite Tai Orratai song.

New Releases (14/04/09)

• Pure Pure - kong len pood dai
• Thoo Daranee - bor aow... khon kee ju

• David - garung huajai Thai
• Earn The Star - yah mong karm kwarm sei jai
• Snook Singmart - hit phaed saen
• Ying Thitikarn - pleng ruk jark jai ying
• Bua Bunchitar - yoo tee nhai jai kor kid tueng
• Daeng Jitkorn - ngarm karm pee
• Pee Saderd - pla ra kah rock
• Vit Hyper - muk ngai lhai jai lhork luang

MV : "Kid nai jai" by Cream Pimwalai ครีม พิมวลัย

Cream is a gorgeous girl, this is track 10 off her recent album. Another one i must review soon!

MV : "Lerk ngorn korn koi tho" by Nidnoi Nantaporn นิดหน่อย นันทพร

Nidnoi's album is pretty good, review soon maybe. This is not my current favourite song off the album but a nice song all the same.

CD : Bua Bunchitar บัว บัณชิตา - yoo tee nhai jai kor kid tueng

One of last year's most pleasing debuts was by the amazingly cute Bua Bunchitar and this is the follow up. She is just as cute but is the album just as good? The title track starts things off and is a nice mid-paced jolly tune with sweet instrumentation and Bua's strong clipping vocals high in the mix. "Dork mai rim tarng" which follows is a good slow tune with some excellent singing. The song builds and builds though maybe doesn't quite live up to the earlier promise, maybe needing a bit of a bigger chorus, though is still a good tune.

"Ngao jueng kao jai" is another slow song but seems to meander a bit too much and doesn't really go anywhere. "Mai chai nah gift" picks up the pace and has some tasty guitar to take us into a pleasant little song with a good chorus. "Aoon ruk jark mae" is piano led and a more relaxed and laid-back affair.

"Hang glai khor hai mhuen derm" has a good melody, again piano led at the start. "Pob ruk tee rong ngarn" is the first example of a really fast song on the album. Bua sings this pretty well too indeed it is one of the best tracks on the album. Overall this is a good album though has no songs you could say are truly excellent just a few that are pretty good but are just lacking that certain extra little something. Bua has a great voice though and the producers put that high in the mix and bought it to the forefront and for that they should be congratulated.

Rating : 8/10

Favourite songs : Dork mai rim tarng, Pob ruk tee rong ngarn

MV : "Kum wa job poo bao bao kor jeb" by Earn The Star เอิร์น เดอะสตาร์

Lets have a MV by Earn The Star, nice song and video.

MV : "Yom jam non fah din" by Ying Thitikarn : หญิง ธิติ

Ying has a new album out, a "special" one, and this is one of the songs off it.

CD : Earn The Star เอิร์น เดอะสตาร์ - yah mong karm kwarm sei jai

Earn's second album i believe, i like Earn though the highlight of her last album was no doubt her photos (not that the album was bad but it was maybe a bit pop-lukthung bland). This album has lots of pictures too... and a great title track. "Yah mong karm kwarm sei jai" is a great fast track with nice instrumentation, Earn's pleasant if unexceptional vocals scoring well on driving verses and a great chorus with nice pop hooks.

The following track "Chuer jai ter tae mai wai jai kao" is a slower song with some rich vocal tone, it also is (a little bit) more lukthung than the first track which to be honest was as lukthung as David Beckham. Good song and very listenable. "Chai mai tee charge bat" is more "rootsy", another fast song and poppy. Earn comes across a lukthung singer singing a pop song here though. "Kum wa job poo bao bao kor jeb" is a slower song with big vocals dominating proceedings, the kind of song Tai Orratai stuffs her albums full of. That is no bad thing is it?

"Bork jai hai roo suek dee" lets the drummer loose in the strange percussion shop and is a reasonable fast song. "Tae korn ton nee lae talord pai" is better, a slow song with a great melody and plenty of "la la la"s. The rest of the album is a bit throwaway but "Ruk khon uen pai korn" has some nice music and an enjoyable melodic progression. I liked this Earn CD a lot, better than her first and a little bit more country though still pretty pop. She sounds good and still looks good. So its a definate win.

Favourite tracks : Yah mong karm kwarm sei jai, Kum wa job poo bao bao kor jeb

Rating : 9/10

MV : "Dek nung suer pim" by Noo Meter หนู มิเตอร์

I really like Noo Meter's voice, check out this song, an older one.