*****
Duang Moragot's Collected Hits 123 is a great introduction to her work for those who missed her first three albums. The tracks are not all gems, but several are, and the collection as a whole shows an impressively broad range.
The opening song, Rak satan nawng han lom, has a nice upcountry setting. The production is just the right side of amateurish, and Duang looks fresh and happy. The song has a nice structure, with tung and lam elements in balance, while Duang has the voice to soar in the former and belt out the latter. Track 2, Pra wet san dom cha dok, is lyrically difficult, with a lot of Buddhist-festival-related vocabulary to perplex the non-Thai listener. The musical effect of this, however, is outstanding: each syllable of the vocal line is emphasised, creating a powerful aural equivalent of the festival parades which appear in the video.
Duang in the upcountry setting of track 11, Sao na la samai.
Most of the other songs here are fairly anonymous luk tung ballads. Among the more interesting are number 5, Fak fon sang fa, which has a nice touch of drama to it, and number 6, Khit hawt khit tueng, which is dominated by a strong, remorseless bass motif.
The strangest song on the album by a long way is track 10, Pua jai di. This has a synth-heavy, highly produced sound rather like that of Lanna, combined with rap-style vocals and a 'comical' fast-motion video. It wins points for ambition, but it's not one you're likely to want to come back to.
| Track number | Song title (Thai) | Song title (Romanised) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | รักสะท้านหนองหานล่ม | Rak satan nawng han lom |
| 2 | พระเวสสันดรชาดก | Pra wet san dom cha dok |
| 3 | ย้อนฮักจึงยอม | Yawn hak jueng yawm |
| 4 | ฮักอ้ายโสตายนำ | Hak ai so tai nam |
| 5 | ฝากฝนสั่งฟ้า | Fak fon sang fa |
| 6 | คิดฮอด คิดถึง | Khit hawt khit tueng |
| 7 | น้องไปเอง | Nawng pai eng |
| 8 | กกขาขาว | Gok ka kao |
| 9 | มักบ่าวพ่อฮ้าง | Mak bao paw hang |
| 10 | ผัวใจดี | Pua jai di |
| 11 | สาวนาล้าสมัย | Sao na la samai |
| 12 | อ้ายทิดเอ่น | Ai tit en |
| 13 | สาวกาฬสินธุ์ | Sao Galasin |
| 14 | ฮักน้องอย่ามองเขา | Hak nawng ya mawng khao |