*****

Ka Rock Kaw Rawng is a strange piece of work. The title promises a classic Salaeng-Toy style Isan rock album, but most of the tracks are very subdued, with none of the energy or invention of Rock Salaeng's previous work.

The title track is a decent rocker of a song, but like the earlier Tao Hua-nguu it's full of exaggerated voices designed for video rather than as a musical experience. The third song, Law Baep Lao Lao is a much better song in the same vein, being essentially a cover of Toy's Ya Kaw Mor lam. Lyrically it's uninspired — another song about laap and som tam — and it's a pity that the best song on the album is not their own, but it is at least fun to listen to.

In between these two is Hawp Hak Muea Ban, the first of three duets featuring Ann. Whatever she may do behind the scenes, Ann's singing is merely competent and her tambourine-playing is, well, tambourine-playing. All these duets are similar — slow and not very distinctive — the others being tracks 8 and the marginally better track 6, Ai Ma Bawk Hak. These duets seem to be an attempt to give her something useful to do, but one or two songs per album is really all one needs of her rather uninteresting voice.

Tracks 4,7 and 9 are three more slow numbers, fortunately this time for Chert alone. His voice is as fine as ever, but the songs themselves have no spark: they never reach the kind of climax which Rock Salaeng usually excel at producing. Chert shares the final song of the album with Pairat, whom he easily outshines.

This is by a long way the worst album Rock Salaeng have produced. There's nothing terrible here, but neither is there anything to give you a reason to buy the record.

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