suthep wongkamhaeng: loi krathong siang rak

artist: สุเทพ วงศ์กำแหง (suthep wongkamhaeng)
album: ลอยกระทงเสียงรัก (loi krathong siang rak)
tracklist:
01. ลอยกระทงเสี่ยงรัก (loi krathong siang rak)
02. กินไม่ได้นอนไม่หลับ (kin mai dai, non mai lap)
03. ความในใจ (khwam nai chai)
04. ลืมเสียเถิดดวงใจ (luem sia thoet duang chai)
05. ภาพดวงใจ (phap duang chai)
06. เสียแล้วเสียไป (sia laeo sia pai)
07. วัยรุ่นกลุ้มรัก (wai run klum rak)
08. ยอดรัก (yot rak)
09. ยอดขวัญ (yot khwan)
10. ศักดิ์พี่มีน้อย (sak phi mi noi)

this week, upbeat holiday dance music from suthep wongkamhaeng! mr. suthep of khorat (nakhon ratchasima) left his career in visual arts to join the royal thai air force band, after being spotted gigging as an intermission performer on bangkok's movie theatre circuit. following his tour of duty, suthep became a staple in the most popular of bangkok nightclubs and appeared frequently in mid-century silver screen musicals. writer 'rong wongsawan famously wrote that he possessed "a voice like the rubbing of satin in beer foam", soft and effervescent. this cassette, based around a loi krathong-themed single, spotlights a number of popular mid-century dance rhythms; latin, thai and otherwise (off-beat, cha cha cha, tango, guaracha, talung and beguine), involving a big band, plenty of latin percussion and even some unexpected electric guitar licks. enjoy!

takako nishizaki & bruce gaston: daowadueng = indra's paradise

artist(s): takako nishizaki & bruce gaston
album: ดาวดึงส์ (daowadueng) = indra's paradise
tracklist:
01. เทพทอง (thep thong) = golden angel
02. ลาวเสี่ยงเทียน (lao siang thian) = oracle of light
03. ดาวดึงส์ (daowadueng) = indra's paradise
- (เหาะ) (hoe) = sacred flying song
- รัว (rua) = miraculous tremolo
- ตะเคิง = takhoeng
- แขกเจ้าเซ็น (khaek chao sen) = dance of the shiite muslims
04. ลาวกระแต (lao kratae) = laotian chipmunk
05. เขมรไทรโยค (khmer sai yok) = tales from the waterfall of saiyok
06. เขมรพายเรือ (khmer phai ruea) = cambodian rowing song
07. ฟ้อนเงี้ยว (fon ngiao) = hill-tribe dance

this past weekend, the thai music scene lost three beloved artists; molam phonsak songsaeng, string star ot khiribun, and classical fusion musician bruce gaston. the bangkok-based american composer/multi-intrumentalist gaston was a chula professor, co-founder with bunyong ketkhong of the ensemble fong naam, and active in the thai film industry as a composer of incidental music. he passed away sunday, october 17th at the age of 74. today's 1987 cassette finds him paired with violinist takako nishizaki, accompanying her primarily on piano but also with a range of both electronic and thai classical instruments. for more information, refer to the fairly extensive english-language liner notes which are included with the download. enjoy!

yotrak salakchai: ao nae

artist: ยอดรัก สลักใจ (yotrak salakchai)
album: เอาแน่ (ao nae)
tracklist:
01. เอาแน่ (ao nae)
02. ช้ำดวงใจ (cham duang chai)
03. เกี๊ยะลอยน้ำ (kia loi nam)
04. ยอดรักเมา (yotrak mao)
05. รักซิ่ง (rak sing)
06. ไม่เหมียนเดิม (mai mian doem)
07. จากเธอด้วยดวงใจ (chak thoe duai duang chai)
08. เมาตาสาย (mao ta sai)
09. วันครึ้มใจ (wan khruem chai)
10. คืนส่งตัว (khuen song tua)

this week, another great cassette from the late police corporal yotrak salakchai! yotrak was from phichit in northern thailand, the youngest of 8 kids. after losing his father at age 7, he and his siblings started singing ramwong music in local bars to help support themselves and their mother, earning enough to finance their schooling. after high school, yotrak himself moved down to nakhon sawan for a steady gig at a restaurant, where he started in with luk thung style (particularly the songs of phraiwan lukphet) and was picked up by a local radio dj, who passed him onto impresario chonlathi thanthong. under chonlathi, he came to be one of the biggest names in luk thung, from the late 70s until his untimely passing in 2008. this 1986 cassette on phanom nopphon's label (nopphon promotion and pictures, later nopphon silver gold co., ltd.) finds yotrak in hi-nrg disco mode, with songwriting from suchat thiangthong and arrangements by chittakon buaniam. i thought the cover photo may have been a still from one of yotrak's many film appearances, but it's actually from a music video shot to promote the album.. enjoy!

 

dontri isan tai

editor: สำเร็จ คำโมง (samret khammong)
album: ดนตรีอีสานใต้ (dontri isan tai)
tracklist:
01. เรือมอันเร (rueam anre)
02. แกล-มอ (klae mo)
03. เรือมต้นยู (rueam ton yu)
04. เรือมศรีผไทสะมัล (rueam si phathai samal)
05. แก้วนอ (keao no)
06. มะรกโดง (marok dong)
07. ตรึมบันแช (truem ban chae)
08. เศกสง (seksong)
09. แอกแคลง (aek khlaeng)
10. อายอง (ayong)
11. สักวา (sakawa)
12. พุ่มพวง (phumphuang)
13. ชะโอละหน่าย (cha o la nai)
14. กันตรึม (kantruem)

this week, more great music from the thai-cambodian borderlands of south isan! compiled by musicologist samret khammong, this cassette features a mix of both instrumental music and vocal numbers (in khmer language) with a small ensemble of fiddle and percussion. decidedly not a studio production, the occasional explanatory announcements over p.a. system would seem to suggest something like a cultural festival as the source for the recordings. unfortunately no performers are credited (hardly unusual for recordings of traditional music in thailand). a lot to enjoy, nevertheless.. hope you will!

khana a. kalasin an-thanon: hae sot dontri phuen ban hao, vol. 1

artist: คณะ อ. กาฬสินธุ์ อั้นถนน (khana a. kalasin an-thanon)
album: แห่สดดนตรีพื้นบ้านเฮา ชุดที่ 1 (hae sot dontri phuen ban hao, vol. 1)
tracklist:
01. แห่สดดนตรีพื้นบ้านเฮา ชุดที่ 1 ตอน 1 (hae sot dontri phuen ban hao, vol. 1, pt. 1)
02. แห่สดดนตรีพื้นบ้านเฮา ชุดที่ 1 ตอน 2 (hae sot dontri phuen ban hao, vol. 1, pt. 2)

this week, another excellent offering from takker audio! while i haven't been able to track down any info on a. kalasin an-thanon or his band, i'd assume they're denizens of khon kaen like their label-mates khana rung thawi (though kalasin's name makes me think they could be from just across the provincial border). as with our previous album from takker, we've got 2 nearly 20-minute-long parade-music phin workouts, with a keyboard workstation (looks like a roland xp-10) carrying much of the weight. and while our achan's face-mask might seem eerily contemporary, i'm thinking this recording probably dates from a previous pandemic time (swine flu, 2009?). i picked this up at the sadly defunct major grand in khon kaen in 2010.. miss that place!

the impossibles: pen pai mai dai

artist: ดิอิมพอสซิเบิ้ล (the impossibles)
album: เป็นไปไม่ได้ (pen pai mai dai)
tracklist:
01. เป็นไปไม่ได้ (pen pai mai dai)
02. ไหนว่าจะจำ (nai wa cha cham)
03. คอยน้อง (khoi nong)
04. ทะเลเปี่ยมรัก (thale piam rak)
05. ชาวดง (chao dong)
06. ชั่วนิจนิรันดร (chua nit nirandon)
07. สกุณา (sakuna)
08. นกขมิ้น (nok khamin)
09. เพลงรักทะเลใต้ (phleng rak thale tai)
10. วนาสวรรค์ (wana sawan)
11. ขาดเธอ ขาดใจ (khat thoe, khat chai)
12. พี่เองก็เท่านี้ (phi eng ko thao ni)
13. หากรักเป็นเช่นทะเล (hak rak pen chen thale)
14. ว่าเหว่ (wa we)
15. บุหงาลาก่อน (bunga la kon)
16. คำสุดท้าย (kham sut thai)
17. ห้วงใจรัก (huang chai rak)
18. หมื่นไมล์แค่ใจเอื้อม (muen mile kae chai ueam)
19. อย่ากวนใจทะเล (ya kuan chai thale)
20. สู่อ้อมอกดิน (su om ok kin)

this week, mellow sounds from thailand's premiere string combo! formed in 1966 (though cycling through different names the first few years), the impossibles were among the emergent talents of the country's early pop/rock scene, favorites at nightclubs and song competitions around bangkok. by the early 70s (the era these tracks are culled from) they had settled down for primarily syrupy balladry, before embracing funk and disco in the latter part of the decade, and becoming somewhat of a staple in silver-screen movie-musicals. core members settha sirachaya, winai phanthurak, and rewat phutthinan would all have successful solo careers (performance and music-business-wise). enjoy!

[note: our manufacturer ran out of time for the last track on side b (and graciously struck it from the tracklist) but i've included what they were able to fit on!]

khana nakhon phanit: dontri phuen mueang chiang mai pi chum ha

artist: คณะ นครพานิช (khana nakhon phanit)
album: ดนตรีพื้นเมืองเชียงใหม่ ปี่จุมห้า (dontri phuen mueang chiang mai pi chum ha)
tracklist:
01. ปี่พระลอจะปุเชียงแสน (pi phra lo cha pu chiang saen)
02. ปี่ลม้ายล่องนาน (pi lamai long nan)
03. ปี่พม่าปราสาทไหว (pi phama prasat wai)
04. ปี่สมัยเงี้ยว (pi samai ngiao)
05. ปี่แหย่งหลวง (pi yaeng luang)
06. ปี่ปราสาทไหว (pi prasat wai)
07. ปี่ล่องน่าน (pi long nan)
08. ปี่จุมห้า (pi chum ha)
09. ปี่ฤาษีหลงถ้ำ (pi ruesi long tham)
10. ปี่เชียงใหม่ (pi chiang mai)
11. ปี่จะปุลม้าย (pi cha pu lamai)
12. ปี่พระลอ (pi phra lo)
13. ปี่เงี้ยวเสเหล่เมา (pi ngiao selemao)
14. เพลงพม่า (phleng phama)
15. เพลงอื่อ (phleng uea)

this week's post marks the eighth in a series of cassettes gifted to us by educator cliff sloane, founder of asianclassicalmp3.org, a major influence behind this blog.

today, some more fantastic folk music from lanna! our group on this cassette is the house band of chiang mai's nakhon phanit records, an ensemble of pi (free-reed bamboo pipes), sueng (plucked, fretted lute) and salo (spike fiddle) running through a set of classic northern melodies. unfortunately, i don't know much about the players here, more information would be very welcome. in the meantime, enjoy!

[note: starting today i'll also be posting an alternate flac download, in thai script, in the comments section, for those who are interested!]

 

under the apricot tree

wanted to share here my recent contribution to the wonderful mix series under the apricot tree!

 

this mix puts a spotlight on the brief but influential “luk thung folk song” scene. following after popular bangkok café entertainer surachai folksong, a number of thailand’s biggest country music stars released albums in “folksong” style, recording stripped-down, coffeehouse-ready arrangements of guitar, bass and electric organ, courting an audience looking to soundtrack a night of relaxed drinking and socializing. hope this hour of music can serve you similarly!

 

Under The Apricot Tree · Apricot 17: Monrakplengthai

01. รุ่งเพชร แหลมสิงห์ - ฝนเดือนหก
rungphet laemsing - fon duean hok ("june rain")
02. สุรชัย โฟล์คซอง - น้ำตาลาไทร
surachai folksong - nam ta la sai ("tears at leaving the banyan tree")
03. พุ่มพวง ดวงจันทร์ - อยากฆ่าผู้ชายเจ้าชู้
phumphuang duangchan - yak kha phu chai chao chu ("i want to kill this adulterous man")
04. ชาย เมืองสิงห์ - ชะทิงนองนอย
chai mueangsing - cha thing nong noi
05. ก้าน แก้วสุพรรณ - หนุ่มเมืองนนท์
kan kaeosuphan - num mueang non ("young man from nonthaburi")
06. สายัณห์ นิรันดร - พอหรือยัง
sayan nirandon - pho rue yang ("is it enough, yet?")
07. สุรชัย โฟล์คซอง - กระท่อมพ่อหมาย
surachai folksong - krathom pho mai ("a widower's hut")
08. รุ่งเพชร แหลมสิงห์ - แล้วแต่วาสนา
rungphet laemsing - laeo tae watsana ("according to fate")
09. สายัณห์ สัญญา - น้ำตาอีสาน
sayan sanya - nam ta isan ("tears of isan")
10. พุ่มพวง ดวงจันทร์ - ชอบมองนักเชียว
phumphuang duangchan - chop mong nak chiao ("i love to stare")
11. สุรชัย โฟล์คซอง - อยากเป็นเจ้าบ่าว
surachai folksong - yak pen chao bao ("i want to be the groom")
12. พุ่มพวง ดวงจันทร์ - รักไม่จริงต้องยิงด้วยปืน
phumphuang duangchan - rak mai ching tong ying duai puen ("if your love's untrue, you must be gunned down")
13. ชาย เมืองสิงห์ - ทำบุญร่วมชาติ
chai mueangsing - tam bun ruam chat ("let's make merit")
14. เพลิน พรหมแดน - สาวโสด
phloen phromdaen - sao sot ("single lady")
15. ก้าน แก้วสุพรรณ - บ้านน้องอยู่ไหน
kan kaeosuphan - ban nong yu nai ("where do you live, girl?")
16. สายัณห์ สัญญา - สัญญาห้าปี
sayan sanya - sanya ha pi ("a five year promise")
17. รุ่งเพชร แหลมสิงห์ - กุหลาบเมาะลำเลิง
rungphet laemsing - kulap molamloeng ("rose of mawlamyine")"

mai waenthip: saeo phu bao

artist: ใหม่ แว่นทิพย์ (mai waenthip)
album: แซวผู้บ่าว (saeo phu bao)
tracklist:
01. แซวผู้บ่าว (saeo phu bao)
02. ปวดหัวเพราะผัวเขา (puat hua phro phua khao)
03. เอกอีสาน (ek isan)
04. สาวนาขาดรัก (sao na khat rak)
05. อุ้มท้องไปกินดอง (um thong pai kin dong)
06. บ้านนอกหลอกกัน (ban nok lok kan)
07. สาวใหม่รำพัน (sao mai ramphan)
08. คอยหมอแคน (khoi mo khaen)
09. ถึงดังยังห่วงแม่ (thueng dang yang huang mae)
10. ผิดหวังยังคอย (phit wang yang khoi)
11. ห่วงพี่ (huang phi)
12. บ่เคยมีแฟน (bo khoei mi faen)

this week, more great isan pop from mai waenthip! long ago, we had a different compilation of hers with about a 75% overlap, but i figured it was worth sharing for the slight upgrade in sound quality, plus 3 additional songs! mai is a resident of khon kaen and a longtime member of the sin sang thong molam group, although she had to step away a little while ago (after over 25 years!), due to health concerns. this 1989 cassette from siam sound features our recently departed a. num phuthai and his band, over words and music from thepphon phet-ubon, "botan" (who i believe is thepphon's wife, phikun bunsuk), and "phonsuphon", who i'm unfamiliar with). 12 classic tracks of luk thung isan.. enjoy!

thongkham thaikla & group: dontri moradok thi rap sung, vol. 1

artist: ทองคำ ไทยกล้า ควบคุมวง (thongkham thaikla & group)
album: ดนตรีมรดกที่ราบสูง ชุด 1 (dontri moradok thi rap sung, vol. 1)
tracklist:
01. แมลงภู่ตอมดอก (malaeng pu tom dok)
02. แม่ฮ้างกล่อมลูก (mae hang klom luk)
03. ผู้ไทลำ (phu thai lam)
04. ลมพัดไผ่ (lom phat phai)
05. ฟ้อนผู้ไท 3 เผ่า (fon phu thai 3 phao)
06. ลายโปงลาง (lai pong lang)
07. เซิ้งบั้งไฟ (soeng bang fai)
08. คอนสวรรค์ (khon sawan)
09. สินไซ (sin sai)
10. ตังหวาย (tang wai)
11. น้ำโตนตาด (nam ton tat)
12. ดึงครกดึงสาก (dueng khrok dueng sak)
13. ศรีพันดอน (si phan don)
14. นกไล่บินข้ามทุ่ง (nok lai bin kham thung)
15. ปู่ป๊ะหลาน (pu pa lan)
16. ลายเต้ย (lai toei)
17. ลายลำเพลิน (lai lam phloen)

this week, excellent instrumental music from isan! running through 2 sides of famous northeastern melodies, we've got a world-class ensemble of phin, khaen, ponglang, electric bass and percussion, plus occasional wot, phin hai and yodeling (uncertain, though, whether the j-card stars are members of said group). i can tell you that our bandleader is mr. thongkham thaikla, student of mokhaen nukan sichiangphim and accompanist to such pre-eminent molam as khen dalao, chawiwan damnoen and thongkham phengdi. great stuff, enjoy!

 

decha nita-in: phi dip

artist: เดชา นิตะอินทร์ (decha nita-in)
album: ผีดิบ (phi dip)
tracklist:
01. ผีดิบ ตอน 1 (phi dip, pt. 1)
02. ผีดิบ ตอน 2 (phi dip, pt. 2)

this week, more classic ubon lam! from the esteemed ratchabut stereo label, we'll once again be hearing beloved molam decha nita-in; i have several of his cassettes and his name is spelled differently on every one, making the metadata (and research) a bit trickier. i can tell you though that decha, from ubon, was the son of molam teacher chanphen nita-in, and an early partner to banyen rakkaen, placing him in an esteemed lineage. this recording is classic voice and khaen, with a good deal of humourous dialogue between decha and several interlocutors, creating an atmosphere as like to a social drinking session as to a studio recording. enjoy!

surang duriyaphan: phleng thai doem mahori

artist: สุรางค์ ดุริยพันธ์ (surang duriyaphan)
album: เพลงไทยเดิมมโหรี (phleng thai doem mahori)
tracklist:
01. ลาวดวงเดือน (lao duang duean)
02. ลาวคำหอม (lao kham hom)
03. ลาวครวญ (lao khruan)
04. ลาวเสี่ยงเทียน (lao siang thian)
05. ลาวสมเด็จ (lao somdet)
06. ลาวเจริญศรี (lao charoen si)
07. เขมรไทรโยค (khmer sai yok)
08. นกขมิ้น (nok khamin)
09. เขมรโพธิสัตว์ (khmer phothisat)
10. ลาวสวยรวย (lao suai ruai)
11. อวยพรวันสมรส (uaiphon wan somrot)
12. อวยพรวันเกิด (uaiphon wan koet)

11-12 sung by นฤพนธ์ ดุริยพันธ์ (naruephon duriyaphan)

this week, fantastic thai classical vocal from miss surang duriyaphan! surang was the daughter of khru niao duriyaphan, and thus born into the esteemed duriyapranit musical family of bang lamphu. she was a leading classical recording artist of her era, a famous radio host and a pioneer of thai vocal instruction. here she performs a number of favorite classical pieces, backed by a grand mahori orchestra (likely duriyapranit or duriyaphan). she is also joined on this cassette by her brother naruephon, who contributes the last 2 songs, backed (i believe) by the royal thai army orchestra.

suthep wongkamhaeng: mon mueang nuea

artist: สุเทพ วงศ์กำแหง (suthep wongkamhaeng)
album: มนต์เมืองเหนือ (mon mueang nuea)
tracklist:
01. มนต์เมืองเหนือ (mon mueang nuea)
02. ดาวเหนือ (dao nuea)
03. หลงคอย (long khoi)
04. พี่รอคำตอบ (phi ro kham top)
05. แผ่นดินเสรี (phaen din seri)
06. ฉันมาจากดาว (chan ma chak dao)
07. นางอาย (nang ai)
08. สะอื้น (sa-uen)
09. เสียดาย (sia dai)
10. เหมันต์ที่ฉันเศร้า (heman thi chan sao)

today, more evergreen luk krung classics from suthep wongkamhaeng! mr. suthep of khorat (nakhon ratchasima) left his career in visual arts to join the royal thai air force band, after being spotted gigging as an intermission performer on bangkok's movie theatre circuit. following his tour of duty, suthep became a staple in the most popular of bangkok nightclubs and appeared frequently in mid-century silver screen musicals. writer 'rong wongsawan famously wrote that he possessed "a voice like the rubbing of satin in beer foam", soft and effervescent. this album is the 12th volume of an old series from the bangkok cassette co., ltd. (currently existing as maemaiplengthai), a mix of relaxed ballads and playful latin dance numbers. enjoy!

 

phloen phromdaen: ot thon khue khon thai

 

 

artist: เพลิน พรหมแดน (phloen phromdaen)
album: อดทนคือคนไทย (ot thon khue khon thai)
tracklist:
01. อดทนคือคนไทย (ot thon khue khon thai)
02. เจ้านายตาแดง (chao nai ta daeng)
03. ดื่มเหล้าเผากลุ้ม (duem lao phao klum)
04. สัตว์บรรดาศักดิ์ (sat bandasak)
05. หลอกให้ขายควาย (lok hai khai khwai)
06. นักโทษรัก (nak thot rak)
07. เมียแก่รถเก่า (mia kae rot kao)
08. กราบเท้าแม่ (krap thao mae)
09. จดหมายถึงพ่อ (chot mai thueng pho)
10. จดหมายตีกลับ (chot mai ti klap)
11. คอยสาวนา (khoi sao na)
12. รอพี่ตีสอง (ro phi ti song)

this week, a latter-day entry from mr. phloen phromdaen, the "king of talking music"! phloen grew up in aranyaprathet on the cambodian border, where he worked on his parents' farm. at age 20, a radio contest win landed him a spot in a local ramwong band. following that stint, he headed for bangkok to join the burgeoning luk thung scene, using his own savings to record original songs. eventually these sessions produced his massive hit "chom thung", which won him a spot among the biggest stars of the era, and even starring roles in several films. today's cassette finds phloen a bit past his "golden years" in the 60s and his comedic "talking music" days in the 70s. it comes to us from sansoen rungserichai's boxing sound label, home also to stars like yingyong yotbuangam and ekkachai siwichai. the sound is very much of its time (the early 90s) with synthesized horn stabs and soaring guitar solos over electronic beats. enjoy!

 

kaeotalai-wilai: so nam thuam

 

artist: แก้วตาไหล-วิไล (kaeotalai-wilai)
album: ซอน้ำท่วม (so nam thuam)
tracklist:
01. ซอน้ำท่วม (so nam thuam)
02. ซอแอ่วสาวจอมทอง-ซออวยพร (so aeo sao chom thong ; so uaiphon)

this week's post marks the eighth in a series of cassettes gifted to us by educator cliff sloane, founder of asianclassicalmp3.org, a major influence behind this blog.

this week, some great music of the lanna region, with mr. kaeotalai and mrs. wilai! our master so singer kaeotalai (talai kanthachan) of lamphun province is a luminary of the genre, known throughout the north for his quick and skillful lyricism. he's joined on this cassette by a woman who goes by wilai, although i was unable to establish her full name. their musical accompaniment consists of a salo (fiddle), a sueng (plucked, fretted lute) and a trio of pi (free-reed bamboo pipes). a fantastic local recording.. enjoy!

 

kung kittikhun chiansong: amata super classic

artist: กุ้ง กิตติคุณ เชียรสงค์ (kung kittikhun chiansong)
album: อมตะซูเปอร์คลาสสิก (amata super classic)
tracklist:
01. คืนนี้พี่คอยเจ้า (khuen ni phi khoi chao)
02. มนต์รักเรียกหา (mon rak riak ha)
03. คิดถึง (khit thueng)
04. เท่านี้ก็ตรม (thao ni ko trom)
05. ยามชัง (yam chang)
06. รักอย่ารู้คลาย (rak ya ru khlai)
07. เสน่หา (saneha)
08. ในอ้อมกอดพี่ (nai om kot phi)
09. ไกลชู้ (klai chu)
10. คืนนั้น (khuen nan)
11. กลิ่นรักโลมใจ (klin rak lom chai)
12. คำคน (kham khon)

let's start 2021 with a bit of easy listening, shall we? kung kittikhun, of southern thailand's nakhon si thammarat province, spent time in the united states of america, attending the university of north texas, and perhaps it was this place of study that put him on the path to be thailand's "king of country music". not thai 'country music' as the local genre 'luk thung' is often translated, but rather more of a john denver-style folksy americana. today's cassette, on n.t. promotion co. ltd. from 1990, finds him in "super classic" mode, taking on a number of more urbane luk krung ballads, most of which were made famous by the suntharaphon crew (suthep wongkamhaeng, thanongsak phakdithewa, charin nanthanakhon, etc.)