Nguyen Ngoc Anh's heartfelt "promise"

Nguyen Ngoc Anh at her album launch event. Photo: NDO

“The Promise” is a continuation of Nguyen Ngoc Anh's albums after a 9-year hiatus. Prior to this, this expressive singer had made her mark with albums in collaboration with talented musicians: Do Bao (“Wonderful World ” - 2007, “Late Blooming Flower” - 2011) and Pham Hai Au (“From the Heart” - 2016).

In this fourth album, Nguyen Ngoc Anh didn't choose one songwriter or genre to perform, but instead combined many songwriters and diverse musical styles, from Rock to R&B, Ballad, Retro, City Pop... The album has 8 songs, including 3 songs by songwriter Ho Hoai Anh: "Closing the End in a Bad Place," "Same Bed, Different Dreams," and "3 Meters in the Sky." Nguyen Ngoc Anh chose "Closing the End in a Bad Place" to make a music video, released over a month ago, which has received quite a good response.

The remaining songs in "The Promise" include: "Building Dreams" and "Come to Me" (by composer Pham Thanh Ha), "The Last Waltz" by composers Hekii and Nguyen Bao Ngoc, "One Person Not Just for Myself" by composer Zen, and the title track "The Promise" composed by her husband, composer To Minh Duc.

The album offers listeners a unique experience. First, it marks the return of songwriter Ho Hoai Anh with three songs, each bearing a distinct musical style. Notably, the song "3 Meters in the Sky" is inspired by a film, featuring catchy and modern melodies and lyrics. Besides her beautiful and powerful voice, Nguyen Ngoc Anh also delivers successful duets in this album. The best is undoubtedly "Same Bed, Different Dreams," sung with singer Tung Duong. One is gentle and intimate; the other passionate and climactic. Together, they tell a love story through music that is truly captivating. As songwriter Ho Hoai Anh said, this is a "difficult song," where two voices with different energies are blended using a technique of reducing the intensity of the climax to make way for emotion.

Composer Tô Minh Đức is not only Nguyễn Ngọc Anh's life partner but also her musical "coach," and in this album, their duet "Xây mộng" (Building Dreams) delivers a harmonious and well-coordinated love song. Young composer Phạm Thanh Hà, successful with many popular songs such as "Tình yêu màu nắng" (Love in the Color of Sunshine), "Đưa nhau đi trốn" (Let's Run Away Together), "Bùa yêu" (Love Spell), etc., continues to make an impression with two songs in this album. Phạm Thanh Hà's music is distinctive and creative, with a characteristic lyrical quality.

"The Promise" leans more towards emotion, life experience, and heartfelt confessions, rather than following trends. Perhaps that's why the album is full of introspective and enjoyable melodies. After more than two decades of singing, Nguyen Ngoc Anh remains the same; she doesn't chase achievements or quantity, but sings from the soul.

Singer Nguyen Ngoc Anh was born in 1981 in Quang Ninh province. She won the Gold Medal at the 1999 National Singing Competition and the Third Prize at the 2001 Hanoi Young Singers Competition. Notably, she gained widespread recognition and popularity after winning Second Prize in the 2005 Sao Mai Singing Competition (light music category). A year later, the singer from Quang Ninh reached the top 5 in the 2006 Sao Mai Rendezvous competition.

DANG HUYNH

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/-loi-hen-uoc-day-tu-tinh-cua-nguyen-ngoc-anh-a193033.html