COMPOSERS: Music of Vietnam
LABELS: Rough Guides
ALBUM TITLE: Rough Guide ToÉ
WORKS: Music of Vietnam
PERFORMER: Various musicians
CATALOGUE NO: RGNET 1183 CD
This latest Rough Guide,
Music of Vietnam, leans toward pop fusion and features a pantheon of Vietnamese pop idols. The most exquisite pieces, however, allow the earthy swoops and slides of traditional instruments such as the dan bao (monochord) and dan tranh (zither) to be heard on their own terms. Much of the instrumental music has a bluesy twang – and blues serves as a recurring leitmotif in the fusion tracks.