5nTears - Ntiv Nplhaib Hmo No

1. Hluas Nkauj Tub Nkeeg
2. Ntiv Nplhaib Hmo No
3. Ua Li Koj Hais
4. Koj Puas Tseem Nco
5. Toj Siab
6. Kuv Tseem Tos
7. Tig Los
8. I Want You to be Mine
9. Ib Xyoo Tseem Tos
10. Txhob Quaj Mog
11. I Don't Want to Cry

Have you ever heard a song that reminded you so much of Laos or Thailand, and you can suddenly picture yourself in that type of environment?  Well, I did; and suddenly, I see this rapper in the middle of the traditional “salavong” dance.  Weird? Tell me about it.  However the beat that followed was somewhat catchy.  It’s like one of those common beats you always hear, but can never get enough of.  The second album of 5NTears starts with this song.  It’s a song called “Hluas Nkauj Tub Nkeeg” which is obviously about itself.  At first I tried listening to the song to catchy some of the lyrics, but the beat was so catchy that I just kept putting it on repeat without paying attention to the meaning.  There’s the “traditional” singing style along with English raps and Pajhuam Hmoob.  A DJ can play this in an old folks club or in a modern music club.  You can’t beat that.

Wait!!! I thought this was a hip hop/rap group?  The second song is so poppy.  It kind of reminds me of the late 90s when boy bands ruled the radio stations.  Then again, it doesn’t.  Wait. That’s confusing me.  Well, the song starts as a slow piano and saxophone ballad, then comes to vocals, and it starts to sound like Voltage, except the vocals are smoother than Paul Lo’s.  This song is much different from the first.  I couldn’t get by without listening to the lyrics.  The vocals need to be a little bit louder, because I had to listen a few times before I could hear the words.  It’s sort of about becoming engaged but not.  He says “Txawm kuv yuav ncaim koj mus lawm los tshuav ntiv nphlaib no nrog koj.”  If you can’t read Hmong, I’m disappointed in you.  Anyway, he’s leaving and giving her a ring to let her know that he loves her.  He wants her to stay.  It’s a typical Hmong song with a teaspoon of sugar. Oh yeah, did I mention the guitar solo?  I like guitar solos.

 

Ua li! Ua li!  The next song has an awesome piano intro.  It’s no Sebastian Bach, but damn, it sure is stuck in my head.  This song is called “Ua Li Koj Hais” which translates to “Do As You Say.”  Hey, I’ve heard this song before!  I just never knew who sang it.  The beginning rap sounds almost like Plucky, if not him.  Even the rapper’s style seems to be like Plucky’s.  The only thing different is that Plucky’s uses a lot of metaphors as lyrics.  And I swear, the first vocalist sounds a lot like one of HTR’s vocalist.  I’m not sure which one though.  In fact, I thought it was a Plucky & HTR collaboration when I first heard this song.  It’s definitely a break-up song.  “Now, what can I say just to make things right?  Sometimes it’s wrong, because you’re not by my side.”  The lyrics aren’t the best, but the music, rap, and melody definitely made up for it.

A Christmas song, too?  Not exactly, but it is sure what I thought.  “Tig Rov Los” sounds a lot like STX’s Christmas song.    Not only did the music sound like it, but the rapping part as well.  However, the actual rapper himself sounds like the guy from Paradise when he’s rapping in French.  Perhaps the only difference between this and STX’s song is the tempo.  This song is somewhat slower.  Poetically, it’s like any mediocre love song.  “Kuv xav tau koj ib leeg nyob hauv kuv lub siab.  Yuav tsis pub leej twg txeeb koj ntawm kuv.” Frankly, this is probably my least favorite song and maybe the only one I wouldn’t listen to again.

Skip to the next track and Wow!  Well, not that kind of “Wow,” but more like “Wow, this is different!”  The piano reminds me of Atlantic Starr for some reason.  It also starts off in English!  “I want you to be mine” has a fairly nice piano melody.  The vocals are good, too.  When he goes to chorus, a nice guitar riff comes in.  Believe me when I say “nice.”  However, the piano is still playing.  In my opinion, the piano should have changed chords to blend in with the guitars.  They’re both great independently, but not together.  Then guess how the song ends?  Yes! That’s right!  It ends with a guitar solo.

Overall, this album is probably one of the most diverse I have heard from a Hmong Artist.  I can’t really put it in one genre, but if I had to, I would say that it would be either Adult Contemporary or Pop.  But does that really even matter?   Good music is good no matter what genre it is.

-Ge Lee

Ratings
Music:  7/10
Lyrics:  5/10
Vocals:  8/10

http://www.myspace.com/5ntearsgroup

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