Dokfah Tahchana ดอกฟ้า ท่าชนะ - mai mee chun nai jai ter

New singer for me, starts off with a nice basic ballad (and title track) with some traditional instrument flourishes though is pretty much a rock ballad and is a nice enough song with a good melody. "Hok dai hok pai" leaves us in no doubt that this is a lukthung album as its a good hard fast track, Dokfah's vocals crisp and cutting through the music nicely. A bit too harsh to enjoy that much though personally.

"Puean kui chua kraw" is a nicer song, slower with a relaxed acoustic feel. A quality piece of country rock. "Ratchada lakorn" picks up the tempo and is a simple if effective fast song. "Luem sunya" has some interesting instrumentation and is a good mid-paced song with some good vocals and melodic depth and a big chorus.

Overall i like this album, Dokfah's vocals are good though sometimes the song choices do not do her much justice. Its a good album but maybe lacks a bit of stardust to elevate it from good to great.

Rating : 7.6/10

Favourite songs : Luem sunya, Puean kui chua kraw

Takkatan Cholada ตั๊กแตน ชลลดา - kon ngao tee kao jai ter

OK well this is the big one i guess. Takkatan is now the chosen one as far as GMM are concerned. And on this 4th album can she solidify her position at the top? Well the album starts with a nice little tune "Looh jarng sao rong ngarn". Slow and well sung with tasteful instrumentation. "Sao tai soy" is a faster song, in the past Takkatan has done pretty well with these, this one is again decent. A driving melody and a good chorus. So far so good, and quite slick.

But what we need is the "killer song". Takkatan always has THE song on her albums, a massive slow track that can even tug at the strings on my heart of stone. The title track "Kon ngao tee kao jai ter" is the latest attempt at this by Takkatan. Great melody and vocals that could strip the paint off my car. Superb song.

Right that's the mega-hit out of the way, how about the rest? "Mhuen derm eak tee nueng" is a bit of a departure, with it's piano melody and airy feel. "Warng warng yah luem kid tueng gun" is another decent Takkatan slow song though maybe a bit anonymous. To be honest apart from the title track the album is a little bloodless. "Kuen jai hai gun" is a good ballad with a steady build-up however.

Takkatan's album taken together is nice and very listenable. One song stands out from the rest of course. The others are fine, good songs. But you probably won't remember most of them too much afterwards though. But you'll get this and enjoy it of course. Its an accomplished album by a singer at the top, its slick and polished. A little too polished for my liking i admit.

Rating : 9.2/10

Favourite songs : Kon ngao tee kao jai ter, Kuen jai hai gun, Looh jarng sao rong ngarn

Tai Orratai ต่าย อรทัย - fhun yung klai jai yung ngao

After the slightly ill-judged morlum album last year Tai Orratai is back with her 7th album of what she does best : polished, weepy lukthung torch songs. Personally i thought the morlum album was OK but then again i'd buy anything she did. Even if she just read out a list of the Bangkok telephone directory i'd probably buy it. (Not that GMM should take any notice of that!)

Anyway this album is back to what she does best. And of course you will know what it sounds like as it sounds like the first 6 albums more or less. Powerful slow ballads like "Fhun yung klai jai yung ngao" and more up-tempo / traditional tracks like "Mue dai si kid hord". Its predictable maybe and definitely higher-budget and more polished than some artists who might have more "street cred" but its also totally wonderful. Tai sounds as she always does: fantastic. The music is as it always is: tastefully judged and matches her voice perfectly. So get it.

Rating : 9.8/10

San Naka - fon ra ruem tee korat

Hard country rock, slow grinding guitar solos, gutsy singing. You know the kind of thing, i am a big fan of this kind of music to be honest. The title track for example is wonderful with an almost cliche like opening with slow guitar chords before proceeding into a chunky slow beat with cutting guitar seemingly punching in and out of the melody. Terrific stuff.

"Kid tueng da dur" is another great track, starting with some bluesy guitar before entering a great power ballad. A departure is "Plong" which is a much faster paced song with traditional instrumentation (though still plenty of guitar too!) A better track though is "Plug ra dom" with its funky beat. Its not a flawless album but the bad is greatly outweighed by the good.

Rating : 8.3/10

Nui Suweenar นุ้ย ชุดที่ - khon nee fan chun

I like Nui, her first RS album was very good indeed and this is the follow-up. It starts off straight-forward enough with a decent rocky song with a good chorus. Nui sings it well enough but you feel sometimes she is straining on some of the notes a bit. Her voice also lacks a little of the warmth of some other singers though she has plenty of power. You feel Nui gives it everything.

"Kon nee fan chun" is another song with a good melody and rock edges. It has a really good chorus (though again a few strained notes). "Tien kai fai fah" is much the same, this album is built with huge slabs of power chords. If you like rock ballads then this album is for you. Its music i like which is fine but maybe there should have been a bit more variety in the song selection and a little bit more lukthung in the mix.

Its a decent enough album with some good songs but the album is not without some flaws. Some of the singing could do with some improvement though the music is good if maybe a bit samey after awhile.

Rating : 8.5/10

Earn The Star เอิร์น เดอะสตาร์ - kum kor jark wa tee khon took ting

Earn The Star is on the pop-rock side of the lukthung spectrum but that is not necessarily a bad thing, it would be boring if every lukthung artist was the same and Earn has a good voice so how is this latest album? Its pretty good as you might expect from a very commercial artist. You feel everything is calculated  and planned to sound good. Maybe it lacks the "credibility" (real or imagined) of some albums but the mainstream is not always bad.

A song like "Koon jae yung yoo tee kao" for example has a lovely melody, beautiful tones, and one of those tunes that builds and builds throughout, all topped off with some clear and crisp singing and some luscious keyboard chords. Its a wonderful song to be honest. Much of the rest of the album is like that too, tunes you'll likely be humming for awhile.

Rating : 8.8/10

Saowaros Roongpailin สวรส รุ้งไพลิน - ror sai khon jai dum

Saowaros Roongpailin is a new singer to me and quite promising. "Sin-la-pin" is a stand-out song, nothing out of the ordinary, just a straight forward slow ballad but sung pretty well if a little rough (but thats fine with me, i don't like my music to be too polished).

"Sapha hua jai" is another fine track, ups the pace a bit but is another ballad. This one you can dance to (slowly). Some of the higher notes Saowaros struggles on. The rest of the album is fine, nothing else really stand out but nothing stinks either. As a body of music its well worth a listen. It doesn't try and break any boundaries and maybe lacks a little ambition. It does, as the saying goes, exactly what it says on the tin. A straight forward lukthung album.

Rating : 7.5/10

Ajareeya Bussaba อาจารียา บุษบา - subparode

Ajareeya's latest (6th album) and the second album of the latest stage of her career. Unlike her previous album which was a little more daring and experimented with different styles this album is a little safer, more like her earlier work. Very well done of course but the album overall is not quite as good as last time.

A song like "Mua nim" is a decent enough mid-paced track that bounces out with a bit of trademark Ajareeya energy and spice. The title track is a little more interesting though, a fast song again but with some nice guitar. "Luem nong leaw ka" interestingly mixes some traditional sounds with some hard beats. Its full of the usual infectious energy you expect from Ajareeya and good enough but personally i think this album could have been a little bit more...

Rating : 8.3/10

Boonta Muangmai บุญตา เมืองใหม่ - kwam wung... bon tarng sai mai

Now i dare say Boonta is no rookie (actually i know she is as she has quite a back catalogue of CDs already) but this is my first time to listen to her and she impresses me with her voice and songs. "Yah hen nong pen kong tai" opens the album and is a professional slower song with some nice melodies and gutsy vocals. "Bor kei luem barn hao" is very different, a fast traditional song marrying bluesy guitar chords and notes from a lot more traditional Thai music forms. Boonta sings well on this too. A key test for a singer is how they manage with a fast song. It can find out the weaker or adequate but Boonta shines on this track.

"Jai nong bor kwang por" takes the tempo down again, Boonta's vocals just veer the right side of shrill on some of the high notes but its good, trust me. This is another accomplished song. Terrific vocal hooks. Another song to mention is "Roo suek dee tee ter tho ma" which has some interesting instrumentation going on.

While the album didn't blow me away i enjoyed it throughout and will be sure to add Boonta to my list of artists to track.

Rating : 8.5/10

Favourite songs : Jai nong bor kwang por, Yah hen nong pen kong tai

Punnawaree Pojjanasoontorn พรรณรวี พจนสุนทร - sao noy chiang mai

This album starts off in a bright manner with "Sao chiang hai", a nice mid-paced track with an infectious chorus and appealing vocals. Punnawaree's vocals have a somewhat innocent and youthful air to them but she stays the right side of young girl squeekiness. Some notes are a bit of a strain though, her voice is fairly low generally.

"Khor soo mar ter" is another mid-paced track, starting off with some chords from Western old-style dance music before moving onto a shuffle beat with a melody punctuated with traditional instruments and tasty organ. "Nhom sen narm ngiew" raises the tempo and is an excellent fast lukthung track. Punnawaree's vocals get a bit flat at times on it though but the song has an excellent if oddly sparse melody.

The best song on the album is "Sia jai tae wah" which has a kind of 60s style doo-wop melody in the background, earnest yearnful vocals and a wonderful synthesizer solo which seems to go on for ever. Following that is the interesting "Ardeed ruk dork thong kwao" which is quite 80s pop in some ways with a relaxing soft feel.

This is a very good album, maybe lacks some variety and polish especially with the vocals but has so much to entertain you with.

Rating : 9.1/10

Favourite songs : Sia jai tae wah, Sao chiang hai, Nhom sen narm ngiew

Vit Hyper วิด ไฮเปอร์ - chai park rai pood taen jai ying oak huk

Vit Hyper's latest album, i am a big fan of Vit so always look forward to these. The opener "Poo ying luem yark" is a nice basic rock ballad though quite forgettable. "Rerm jark roy" is quite different, a more traditional sounding song with some nice harmonica and a building melody and a good chorus.

"Ma ruk tummai ton nee" is a high point, standard Vit rock ballad territory. Nice melody, warm vocals, big chorus et cetera. I'm sure he can do those songs in his sleep though. "Kor pen khon sood tai" is another rock song but with a bluesy feel though otherwise keeps to the blueprint. "Ma tee lhung wung taeng" is an interesting song, less rock and more lukthung. It works quite well with Vit's low but slightly rough vocals.

Its a decent album but ultimately a bit forgettable. The album lacks a bit of star dust and a really big hit song. It has a number of nice little songs but falls short of the killer blow. Fans will enjoy it though it probably won't convert anyone unconvinced.

Rating : 8/10

Favourite songs : Ma ruk tummai ton nee, Ma tee lhung wung taeng, Rerm jark roy

Aum Nuntiya อั้ม นันทิยา - wai teen yasothorn

Aum Nuntiya's latest (and third) album for Sure Audio starts with an excellent fast lukthung title track with an irresistible beat. "Yark tho ha jai si kard" brings things down tempo wise with some sweet melodies and tones and is an enjoyable slow song with a very ear friendly melody.

"Tung hug tung yarn" speeds things up again with an interesting melody which mixes traditional instruments and retro electronica and sounds like an 80s video game where you play the role of a lukthung star. "Ai bor kue kao" is a slow song (spot the pattern yet) and is basically fine but a bit too basic.

"Bor yark klub pai sei jai" has a very tinkly pop melody, sung by Aum with plenty of youthful energy and charm. Overall the album is an enjoyable listen, not earth shattering maybe not the best vocals in the world but a well put together album all of the same with plenty of high spots.

Rating : 8/10

Favourite songs : Wai teen yasothorn, Tung hug tung yarn, Yark tho ha jai si kard

Bao We บ่าววี - vol 4

It doesn't take an Einstein to tell that this is Bao We's 4th album. I've quite liked his songs in the past though i've found he tends to have albums with a few great songs and a lot of filler instead of consistent great albums. Lets see if this is any different.

"Mai yark hai dao tong ma puen din" opens the proceedings and is a typical Bao We song, rock ballad with a big gutsy chorus and an excellent hook. The kind of song that gets lots of air play. And its a very good song indeed. "Mai mee pra yode" is a bit different, oddly enough it starts off a bit like "Kung fu fighting" (somewhat scarily) though quickly becomes another rock ballad. More traditional touches on this one though, and some soaring vocals.

"Song mue song thao" is a fast track with lukthung instrumentation married to some driving guitar. "Koo chewit" is another good ballad song, big chords, slow start. You know the form. Yeah big rock chorus. Probably the best song on the album.

Still unconvinced about Bao We album wise, overall its pretty good but some songs are much better than others. Well worth your time but you may find yourself skipping tracks a bit.

Rating : 8.8/10

Favourite songs : Koo chewit, Mai yark hai dao tong ma puen din

Revision : Noo Meter, Tai Orratai, A-Zeer

I review albums on this blog of course, but i may listen to an album many times more after i have written the review. Have some of my opinions changed? Well lets look back at a few albums from last year and see...

Noo Meter - khon derm tee koon kei

Back in September 09 i reviewed Noo's latest album and was impressed with him once again. Noo is one of my favourite male lukthung singers and he definitely has my favourite voice. I did say though there were no surprises, if you had heard him before then you would know exactly what this album would sound like.

But lets face it it was maybe a bit unfair to criticise him for that as you could say it for most lukthung artists! I think maybe i was just desperate for something critical to say. Recently i have discovered the song "Khon derm" on the album which i didn't highlight in the original review but its also a very good (and a very Noo Meter) song.

Tai Orratai - morlum dok ya

Tai Orratai goes morlum, when i reviewed this i said it was a great change. I think i was on the juice when i wrote that. To be honest i think the album is pretty average and that was painfully apparent with further listening. Usually i listen to Tai albums so much the CD case falls apart and if the CD laser could burn a groove the CD would look like a tyre tread. However this album has hardly been out of it's box for months. Back to normal next time Tai please!

A-Zeer - self-titled

I liked this album, though only the tracks with the female vocals. A reader helpfully pointed out that the female vocalist was Sear Napat, which passed me by (i am slow sometimes). Once told it was blindingly obvious! Sear Napat's last full album was one of the best in 2007. Her songs on this album are great, the guy's songs are (lets be nice) different.

CD : Songkrod Chama ทรงกรด ฌามา - khon kra jok

I admit i didn't like Songkrod's last album that much, it had one good song (no doubt the intended big radio hit) but the rest was a bit forgettable if OK at times. So i ummed and ahhed a bit where it came to deciding whether to get the follow-up or not. In the end i decided to give him a go again though the lack of that much else coming out probably helped my decision!

So the opening (and title) track is a big rock-edged ballad with a chorus. Well so far so good, its a good radio friendly song. It is followed by "Sua sin lai" that actually has some nice lo-fi keyboards and bluesey guitar chords. It has some nice atmosphere behind the song.

"Kae huang yai" is another atmospheric song, slowly building up into another tasty ballad like song. Songkrod's rough edged vocals work very well on songs like this. Faster songs like "Sew hua charng" i am not so sure about. It bounces around OK but when he sings faster he uses a higher key and struggles with the notes a bit.

He should stick to songs like "Fark" which suit his vocal style much more, and work well with the bluesey chords and relaxed style. I think this album is noticeably better than his last one which seemed to put all the effort into 1 song, this is much more even and much more enjoyable. I'm glad i gave him another go.

Favourite songs : Khon kra jok, Kae huang yai, Sua sin lai

Rating : 8/10

CD : Nongpang Natthida น้องแป้ง ณัฐธิดา - kor anuyart kid hord ai

I really liked Nongpang's album from 2008, a really good debut. Her youthful vocals the right side of cute and sweet and not annoying. This is the follow-up and is the usual mixture of tempos. "Kor anuyart kid hord ai" is a nice ballad, though when it starts it sounds a bit like Nongpang is barfing up the vocals, still it gets a lot better after that!

"Kata gun lhork" is a nice pacey track with some juicy organ. I will be honest though and don't think this album is as good as the last one. Some of the vocals seem a bit strained and rushed. Maybe they just needed to spend a little more time on this album? Still some good points though, "Aok huk ruang chill chill" meanders along rather lovely.

Best song is "Mai yark pen nong sao" with it's relaxed feel and yearning quality to the vocals, maybe even worth the album for that song alone!

Rating : 8/10

Favourite songs : Mai yark pen nong, Kor anuyart kid hord ai, Kata gun lhork

CD : Job Sabuy Heart จ๊อบ สบายฮาร์ท - narm tar poo chai

Been looking forward to this one, in 2008 Job released the song "Say saeng", one of the best songs of the year though i was unable to get the album the song was off. This album, Job's second, is available however and very gratefully received it is too. Job is a cool guy with the dreadlocks and shades and backs it up with great hard country rock.

"Kum sarb" opens the album and is is a terrific rock ballad. Job's vocals are full of feel and life. You feel like Job actually means it and wasn't a product of marketing. Of course that may be the intention (of the marketing) but his vocals feel like they have plenty of authenticity behind them. And lots of rock guitar too of course. "Kon lhuer khor" is another passion filled track with a big chorus and big guitar solo.

"Narm tar poo chai" follows the theme, maybe a little softer in feel than the earlier songs but thats relatively "softer" there is still plenty of rock passion and another big chorus. There isn't a great deal of subtlety with Job's music to be honest. "Mai klah bork" is a little different, an acoustic opening and a touch of lukthung-style keywords. "Kid pai aeng" is much a traditional style song though Job's vocals are still like a sledgehammer and jar a bit with a softer backing. To be honest it doesn't work for me.

Perhaps Job wanted a bit of variety with his album however 10 rock ballads would be fine as far as i am concerned. "Way lar" is a little more like it though "Rub pai tem tem" finally brings the big guitars back. Job is my hero and this album is every bit as good as i hoped it would be. Totally fantastic. Hard music but with feeling.

Rating : 9.3/10

Favourite songs : Kum sarb, Narm tar poo chai, Rub pai tem tem

CD : Klin Patoomma กลิ่น ปทุมมา - poo chai khon raek

What a great debut this is, and one of the best albums of the year. Klin Patoomma's album is full of great songs with rich vocals and a great backing. Lukthung with a rock/pop edge is the order of the day but there is lots of real feeling in her vocals such as on the opening title track with it's big chorus and scorching guitar chords.

"Luem ai bor wai" is another slow-tempo lukthung song with rock flourishes, with superb vocals which cut through the electric noise in the background like a hot knife. One of the better songs of the last few months for sure. "Pen dai kae sai sorn" opens with some harmonica and some big guitar chords but is another passionate lukthung-rock number.

"Yark dai yark dai" is a very different song, a little faster and a lot more traditional in feel and instrumentation. No less good though, a very catchy song. Much of the album is like the following "Jai ar worn", big slow lukthung rock ballads. Read a few of my reviews and you know these kind of songs are my favourite so i have no hesitation in saying this album is absolutely fantastic.

Rating : 9.5/10

Favourite songs : Poo chai khon raek, Luem ai bor wai

CD : Pituk พิทักษ์ - sathanee narmtar waylar ngao

Well Pituk has long hair, wears army gear and plays a guitar on the cover so you expect this will be on the tougher and rockier end of the lukthung spectrum. The opener "Dor doo barn" is quite a surprise though with a very traditional sound especially when the tempo picks up later on. Pituk's vocals have a bit of a rough edge to them, though not as rough as say Job.

"Sathanee narm tar" is a great song, Pituk's vocals are so crisp and almost rip out of the speakers. The song itself is a slow builder with a great melody and structure. "Tahlay mai chuay arai" with it's big guitar chords is more rocky but its great lukthung with a few rock flourishes instead of the other way around. "Sarm cha narm tar tok" is a good up-tempo song with a great beat to it.

The album is very good but quite unexpected if you expected another Vit Hyper say. Never judge things by their cover is thus the message here. I love a cover with trains on it by the way!

Rating : 8.8/10

Favourite songs : Sathanee narm tar, Tahlay mai chuay arai

CD : Fangkaew Worasamon ฟางแก้ว วรรษมน - mark kwa puean dai mai

Seems every now and then a new artist comes along whose debut pretty much blows away anything else currently out there. And this time her name is Fangkaew Worasamon and this album is fabulous. Opener "Rawung! ... tok loom ruk" has a lovely dinky little melody and a very listenable chorus. Fangkaew's voice has plenty of young girl vitality and energy, maybe not the best lukthung vocals ever but certainly not bad.

The opening song is a little silly maybe but the following "Nung sue pok dum" is serious business, a big lukthung ballad. It checks all the boxes perfectly as far as i am concerned. Slow building melody - check. Great chorus - check. Driving vocals - check. One of the best songs i've heard for a few months. "Duay kwam kid tueng" is a more traditionally sounding song, Fangkaew's vocals do not work quite as well on this. Rockier songs are her forte but this is still very listenable.

"Lor len...na" is an "interesting" song, with a very electronic beat and is a very child-like song, though has sufficient charm for me to actually like it and i usually loathe songs like this! "Ruk mai kla sadeng oak" is much more serious and is a lovely country-rock song.

The album isn't quite perfect but the closest thing we have to it right now. As i said these new artists who i really like come along once or twice a year. Unfortunately they never seem to release a second album which either means i do not know what on Earth i am talking about or it is sheer bad luck (probably the former). Anyway i hope Fangkaew bucks the trend!

Favourite songs : Nung sue pok dum, Rawung! ... tok loom ruk

Rating : 9.4/10