
Seriously, it was leaning on the side of disappointment. It was like a step back from Khoanh Khac Doi Toi album. I felt the previous had more creativity and it seemed people put more effort into it. This one? Maybe because of some of the repeated tracks that made it a tad disappointing. Somehow, I didn’t like the mix as much, except for some tracks. Okay, so they were re-mixing it so it would be more lively and a bit more different than some other versions, but I still didn’t like it as much. Somehow, I felt like he put more emotions into the songs from the last one than this one since though the other one was really ‘morbid’ in a sense but I could feel the emotions flowing through the other one more.

What else is there to poke at next? LOL! Oh yeah, the art cover. Honestly, I don’t like the image he was given in this one. The make-up was a bit ‘over’ or maybe A LOT. I do like the design and the coloring that was supposed to bring out the theme though. Also, it was a bit clever with putting the title “Tai Vi Ai?” (Because of Who?) on the cover and then on one of the sides of the sleeve, there was the answer “Vi 1 Chu Yeu” (Because of One Word…Love)–which was also one of the song titles. YET it had been done before so there was the cleverness in it but not too surprising of the approach.

Songs List:
1. Tai Vi Ai? (Because of Who?) – Composer/Lyricist: Dang Khoa – Getting straight to the point since this is also the title of the album. Aside from the talking at the beginning, I like it. (It’s not LTQ, but it’s because I just don’t like ‘talking’ in songs.) How come he puts so much emotions into this one but not as much in others? Oh well…
2. Trai Tim Hoang Duong (Ridiculous Heart) – Composer/Lyricist: Kim Tuan – It gets a bit better the second time around since I guess the song is a bit addicting to listen to so it’s all right. It gets even better the 3rd time around, LOL! Maybe he’s more experienced with the upbeat ones so he’s like singing it without needing to prepare as much. (Or it seems that way to me.)
3. Thi Tham Mua Xuan (Whispering Spring) – Composer/Lyricist: Ngoc Chau – I prefer Tu Quyen for this one. OR perhaps I’m so used to the Tu Quyen version so it just needs getting used to. And yes, it gets a little better the second time around. Though I kept wondering when did he become ’em’? (LOL) Sorry, being mean again. Perhaps he was trying to describe some girl’s first love? LOL! Gets even better around the 3rd time for this one also. I actually kind of like the mix also.
4. Co Ua (Withering Grass) – Composer/Lyricist: Lam Phuong – Old song and one of the classic songs from Lam Phuong. The second time around sounds better, lol. I don’t know. It’s the risk of releasing old songs. I think he does slightly better than the “Thanh Pho Buon” one since “Thanh Pho Buon” is harder (or so I thought). I’m beginning to like the feel of it by the 3rd time. Interesting. Possibly it takes a while to let it sink in.
5. Vi 1 Chu Yeu (Because of One Word…Love) – Viet Lyrics: Luong Tung Quang – I have a gut feeling that this is from a Chinese song because of the tune BUT can’t seem to figure out which one yet. But the Viet lyrics aren’t bad at all. Somehow, I never doubt him in this area. For some reason, I really like how he sings it. And perhaps it was him who wrote the Viet lyrics so it was like he was more comfortable with this song. (Duh, right?) Like it more and more and I think this song might have the potential of staying on my mp3 player longer than the other tracks in this album.
6. The Gioi Khong Tinh Yeu (A World Without Love) – Composer/Lyricist: Nguyen Duy An – Not bad and maybe it’s because I’ve never listened to anyone who could get me into liking this song before. Kind of slow but not too much.
7. Nho Em (Missing You) – Composer/Lyricist: Ky Phuong – So-so for me though I must admit it’s lively and he sings it with much more power than some of the tracks in here that requires more power, lol.
8. Thanh Pho Buon (City of Sorrows) – Composer/Lyricist: Lam Phuong – Another Lam Phuong classic. It was all right but I think either he tried too hard to sound different aka bringing a different flavor into the song OR he could not grasp the essence of this song yet. He kind of dragged out some parts too much that it was hard to endure. Sometimes I have a feeling he was doing ‘cai luong’ (a type of Vietnamese opera) for some reason, LOL! Possibly because of the ‘drag’, I was talking about.
9. Tra No Tinh Xa (Returning the Debt of a Distant Love) – Composer/Lyricist: Tuan Khanh – Somehow, I still have the feeling of being burned out when listening to this song, lol. (Believe me, there was a time where everyone and their cousins were singing it SO I’m not off that phase of being ‘sick of it’ yet.) But it’s all right. Not that bad. Though I wonder why in the world there was the whole ‘drum’ thing at the beginning, lol. It gets a bit better the second time around since I’m focusing on his singing more than the whole ‘sick of it’. But I’m not going to put it on ‘repeat’ any time soon.
10. Nhung Loi Doi Gian (Words of Lies) – Viet Lyrics: Tan Trieu – Sorry, Andy Lau, but I’m sick of this song. (Yeah, it’s an Andy song.) It’s another ‘all right’ song. I mean it’s a good song, but like “Tra No Tinh Xa”, I still haven’t recovered from the whole overwhelming feeling yet.
11. Angel – Viet Lyrics: Luong Tung Quang – Okay, this is funny ’cause I know the tune at the beginning but couldn’t think of it at first until the second time around. It’s actually “Please Don’t Go” from Angel Lover sang by Jacky Chu, Ming Dao, and Ehlo Huang. Seriously? LOL! I can’t tell the connections yet. I’ll try to see what’s the link OR just borrowed the ‘tune’ for the sake of the song. Someone must have been watching Angel Lover, LOL! Or must have been browsing around and found the song.

NOTE: I’m a fan AND I do not intend to offend or stir up any fights with other fellow fans but as a fan, I have high expectations for him after him impressing me with the previous one. So I was just slightly disappointed with how this one had come out. Perhaps he was taking a break with this one so there was a mix of happy and sad songs, and there’s also the in-between? But hope the next one would be up to quality.
*All images and translations were scanned and translated by DTLCT
I’m sorry to hear that maybe this second album is not as creative as the first. I think that can be a problem with second albums as it is with second novels. I agree about his look on the album cover. LTQ is such a sweet looking boy already that he doesn’t need overkill on the makeup.
I’m glad he covered ‘Please Don’t Go’–a really nice track. Has he brought out any MVs to go with either album?
@vgag – Actually, this is not his second album, LOL. I lost count of how many. (Though I think I have most of ’em, LOL!) The thing with the Viet music industry is, they let established singers bring out however many that is possible. AND then that’s when it happens with all the repetitive songs at times. The thing with this one is Vietnamese country music isn’t LTQ’s style – unlike some of the more upbeat ones and the Chinese melodies related ones. Or possibly those more mellow love songs, lol. But I guess I have to clap him for trying out different types of songs.
And no MVs – sadly. I think it is rare at times that they include MVs. OR maybe they bring out separate DVDs and include the MVs so you end up spending more (and not what’s already included in the package). That’s those productions’ ways of making money, I guess. LOL!
Regarding “Please Don’t Go” – I guess it’s all right since the tune changed a bit and it was kind of easier to sing for him. (LOL) I couldn’t help thinking that it was a tad more powerful in the Mandarin version and the Viet version is a tad more soft? Oh well…can’t be too picky, LOL!