khana phet ubon: sai naen na kaen

artist: คณะ เพชรอุบล (khana phet ubon)
abum: สายแนน นาแก่น (sai naen na kaen)
tracklist:
01. สายแนน นาแก่น ตอน 1 (sai naen na kaen, pt. 1)
02. สายแนน นาแก่น ตอน 1 (sai naen na kaen, pt. 2)

this week, a great album featuring the players of khana phet ubon! led by molam chalatnoi songsoem, the group is rounded out by leading lady chomsawai saenthawisuk & the lesser-known duangchannoi chianklon, all capable lam practitioners from ubon ratchathani province. this is an album of lam in strict voice & khaen configuration... the style featured is lam rueang to klon, a traditionally theatrical genre where the emphasis is on storytelling. needless to say, the story itself will be lost on non-isaan speakers (myself included).. but the music & voices should have little trouble holding the fascination of those unable to comprehend the words. enjoy!!

phongsi woranut: khon sut thai

artist: ผ่องศรี วรนุช (phongsi woranut)
album: คนสุดท้าย (khon sut thai)
tracklist:
01. คนสุดท้าย (khon sut thai)
02. บาร์หัวใจ (bar hua chai)
03. ฝากดิน (fak din)
04. ผิดหวังยังคอย (phit wang yang khoi)
05. ชั่วโมงสุดท้าย (chua mong su thai)
06. หญิงขายตัว (ying khai tua)
07. ปัญหาหัวใจ (panha hua chai)
08. น้องเป็นคนรักที่เท่าไหร่ (nong pen khon rak thi thao rai)
09. รักจ๋ารัก (rak cha rak)
10. คนเลวที่ฉันรัก (khon leo thi chan rak)
11. คนสำรอง (khon samrong)
12. น้ำตาหยดสุดท้าย (nam ta yot sut thai)

hope everyone will forgive the length between posts; due to a massive hard drive failure, the blog was out of commission for a little while.. but after a month's absence, all has been recovered and we're ready to go! to make up for time lost, let's get back into things with a real gem from the incomparable phongsi woranut! if you're a regular here, you probably know of phongsi by now; luk thung's first female star and rival to the genre's king, suraphon sombatcharoen. this album is from a bit later in her career (the 1970's, i think), and features one of her most beautiful and enduring singles, "fak din" (track 3). while the brass-laden ballads may be light of atmosphere, the subject matter of these songs is heavy; the lyrics tell tales of death, prostitution and love gone wrong. classic luk thung from an timeless star.. enjoy!