*****
Duang's fourth album is a well-balanced collection which demonstrates why she is one of the most exciting mor lam artists recording today (quite apart from being an excellent singer of luk tung). The disc continues her shift towards a more modern style, with Rock Salaeng an obvious major influence.
With the first track, Yaak mi mia mor lam, Duang starts the album in fine style. The track itself begins with a brief but excellent gern section with musically assonant lyrics. The rest of the song is nothing wildly original: it's a fairly standard modern lam number, but raised above the average by Duang's wonderfully full-bodied voice.
In track 2, Chern khaw mor lam, Duang takes a leaf out of Rock Salaeng's book. Her most prominent musical accompaniments here are the electric guitar and the sax, while between the lam breaks there are beautifully soaring choruses.
The luk tung tracks in a mor lam-oriented album are often relative disapointments, but after the unrelenting tempo of the first two songs, Hak khon mi jaokhawng is a welcome step back. Duang's voice here takes on an unexpectedly pure tone which complements perfectly the flute-style synthesiser which dominates the spare instrumentals.
Bai bak tum awn is in a similar vein, while track 5, Mak laeo hai at ao, takes things a step higher: the flat intonation which Duang gives to some of the phrases keeps the song from becoming too maudlin, while the elegant bass-line gives the song its backbone.
Sao lam sing is, predictably, a return to the lam style of the first couple of songs, but this time the euphonic wordplay has degenerated into mere grating onomatopoeia. Track 7, Pubao ki due, is much more like it: like her earlier Pra wet san dom cha dok, this is lam in a marching style, with the regular stresses driving her voice sometimes to edge of ugliness. In Na han prajam bao the guitar is again prominent, but some of the instrumentation is surprisingly subtle, tabla-style drums offering a quietly effective counterpoint in the left channel. Mak khon pu hai is not particularly memorable, but it's followed by the rather splendid Tit haeng ban diao, which closes the album in suitably energetic style.
| Track number | Song title (Thai) | Song title (Romanised) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | รักสะท้านหนองหานล่ม | Yaak mi mia mor lam |
| 2 | พระเวสสันดรชาดก | Chern khaw mor lam |
| 3 | ย้อนฮักจึงยอม | Hak khon mi jaokhawng |
| 4 | ฮักอ้ายโสตายนำ | Bai bak tum awn |
| 5 | ฝากฝนสั่งฟ้า | Mak laeo hei at ao |
| 6 | คิดฮอด คิดถึง | Sao lam sing |
| 7 | น้องไปเอง | Pubao ki due |
| 8 | กกขาขาว | Na han prajam bao |
| 9 | มักบ่าวพ่อฮ้าง | Mak khon pu hai |
| 10 | ผัวใจดี | Tit haeng ban diao |