Jam Wai Na

Bunta

*****

Jam Wai Na — Bunta's first album — is very similar to those of Jop and Joy. It's full of catchy, well-written songs; the videos have good costumes and choreography; and there's not an ounce of feeling in it. The album does everything it sets out to. Musically it's relentlessly up-tempo, with the saw and pin dominating the instrumentals. The songs are fantastic, especially track 2: Sut Ngao. The only complaint here is that they often seem to build up to what should be a lam break, but instead relapse tamely. The lack of variety is one point of difference with Jop and Joy, and it stems from another: Bunta does not have the voice of either of them. She does well enough with light, mid-tempo pieces, but she lacks the power for emotionally weightier luk tung ballads or for the concentrated energy of lam. Given to a stronger singer, these songs could have been worked up into something even better.

A lot of care has been put into the production of the videos. Because there are no narratives, the videos are of performances in the clifftop setting of Pa Taem.

Bunta performs in front of a cohort of both male and female dancers in traditional dress — an unusual and welcome reminder of the origins of Isan music — although in some numbers she is backed only by the girls affecting to play percussion instruments. She looks much better in the videos than in the CD cover photos, and she's always nicely dressed (if in some danger of falling off her shoes). The final video, for Tong Hak Eelee, is an interesting oddity showing the making of the videos, with a combination of authentic and staged scenes.

Bunta is clearly a limited singer, and her limits are such that she will never deliver any great emotional or dramatic power in her performances. However, she (or her manager) knows them and how to produce great entertainment within them. While one can regret that the talents of the songwriters are not being put to even better use, there's certainly a place for Bunta and the songs they've given her.

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