Sài Gòn, Saïgon

To Saigon for a postmodern nostalgia trip; here, veteran Vietnamese vocalist Huong Thanh revisits the songs of French colonial Vietnam, a period when local artists began embracing French popular music. Thanh's source material drew inspiration from the light-music balladry of French crooners like Tino Rossi. Perhaps wary of celebrating music that was actively encouraged by the colonial administration though, Thanh renounces the retro, enlisting a quintet of French jazz musicians led by vibraphonist Franck Tortiller to deconstruct the tunes.

Besides the Vietnamese lyrics, which evoke bamboo shoots and banyan trees, there is not much to distinguish this album from any other tasteful vocal jazz record. Repeat listens will unearth subtle imprints of its inspiration, however, in unusual song structures or off-kilter phrasing. There are moments of magic. On ‘Trang Đem’, the introduction of the đàn bau, a kind of Vietnamese lap-steel guitar, provides a foil to Thanh's earthy vocals that also operates outside the tempered tonality of the piano and vibraphone. A similar synergy is achieved with some wonderfully brittle trumpet work on ‘Biêt Ly’.

Sài Gòn, Saïgon is a postmodern palimpsest of an album, mannered but intriguing and ultimately rewarding.