artist: พงษ์เทพ กระโดนชำนาญ (phongthep kradonchamnan)
album: ไอแอมอีสาน (i am isan)
tracklist:
01. สาวเสื้อลาย (sao suea lai)
02. เอาเต๊อะ (ao toe)
03. ไอแอมอีสาน (i am isan)
04. โคราช 4 (khorat 4)
05. นกเขาไฟ (ภาคผีเมือง) (nok khao phai (phak phi mueang))
06. คนเลว (khon leo)
07. สาวเมืองเลย (sao mueang loei)
08. แหล่ 29 (lae 29)
09. ลำตะคอง (lam takhong)
10. อีแต๋น (i-taen)

this week, 'songs for life' from the 'farmer's poet'! phongthep was born in nakhon ratchasima (khorat), in thailand's isan region. he started out with the legendary phuea chiwit pioneers caravan, before fleeing to the jungle like many thai student activists after the terror of october 6th, 1976. he resurfaced following the amnesty of 1980, and joined pop-protest group carabao as a touring musician, before embarking on a solo career. on this, his third album (released 1986), he's joined by thongkram thana (guitar, violin), ut yannawa (drums), wichai chomrit (bass) and mongkhon uthok (so and phin), as well as guest spots from guitarist suthep thawanwiwatkun of hope, back-up vocals from yupphawan imkrung and so-u from rangsit chongchansittho. a noted multi-instrumentalist, phongthep himself contributes lead vocals, khaen, angkalung, flute, guitar and percussion. the music is an eclectic mix of folk-rock, reggae, country, bluegrass, etc., all mixed with various samplings of local thai styles.. enjoy!

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artist: สมโภชน์ ดวงสมพงษ์ (somphot duangsomphong)
album: เมียป๋าเพราะซาอุฯ (mia pa phro sa-u)
tracklist:
01. เมียป๋าเพราะซาอุฯ (mia pa phro sa-u)
02. รู้ว่าเขาหลอก (ru wa khao lok)
03. จองไว้ก่อน (chong wai kon)
04. หมอลำพ่อลูกอ่อน (molam pho luk on)
05. สุราดีกว่านารี (sura di kwa nari)
06. เอิ้นหาน้องแดง (oen ha nong daeng)
07. พ่ายรัก (phai rak)
08. ลำเต้ยฮักน้องอีหลี (lam toei hak nong i-li)
09. ทหารห่วงแฟน (thahan huang faen)
10. ตายหยังเขียด (tai yang khiat)

this week, classic isan pop from somphot duangsomphong! the lead single here is somphot's 1985 response to phimpha phonsiri's "nam ta mia sa-u" of 1982, a famous song bemoaning the lives of wives whose husbands have gone to labor in saudi arabia. sharing a songwriter (soraphet phinyo) with the earlier tune, the lyrics offer a male perspective to contradict the original (though i think phimpha's remained the bigger hit). the style as advertised is lam klon khon kaen (prayuk), "khon kaen-stlye lam klon (modernized)". musical backing is by the grand band, with some perfectly 80's synthesizers taking the khaen parts during the introductory kroen sections. enjoy!

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artist: สาธิยา ศิลาเกษ (sathiya silaket)
album: วันหวาน กับ สาธิยา (wan wan kap sathiya)
tracklist:
01. คืนหนึ่ง (khuen nueng)
02. กำพร้าคู่ (kamphra khu)
03. ดวงใจใครหนอ (duang chai khrai no)
04. ต้องเข้าใจ (tong khao chai)
05. จันทร์เอ๋ย (chan oei)
06. ตะวันยอแสง (tawan yo saeng)
07. วันเพ็ญ (wan phen)
08. แรกรัก (raek rak)
09. ข้องจิต (khong chit)
10. ทาสน้ำเงิน (that nam ngoen)
11. แหวนที่ถอดวาง (waen thi thot wang)
12. ใครจะร้องไห้เพื่อฉัน (khrai cha rong hai phuea chan)
13. หนี้รัก (ni rak)
14. โลกหมุนเวียน (lok mun wian)
15. ยอดสน (yot son)
16. แว่วกริ่งกังสดาล (waeo kring kangsadan)

tracks 1-2, 9, 13, 16: featuring ยุรนันท์ ภมรมนตรี (yuranan pamonmontri)
tracks 7-8: featuring เศรษฐา ศิระฉายา (setha sirachaya)

this week, we're back to the smooth, nostalgic sounds of the city, with sathiya! i haven't been able to track down any biographical details about our singer here, but she seems to have been positioned at the conjuncture in the 1980s of the luk krung and string scenes; the time when formerly rock/pop/funk-oriented groups like the impossibles began harkening back to bangkok's mid-century big-band crooner music. indeed, setha sirachaya of the aforementioned impossibles provides guest vocals here, along with yuranan pamonmontri (better known as an actor and later politician). the songs are oldies from songwriters like sanga arampi and wet sunthonchamon, with slick new arrangements from 80s pop producers like thanit choenphiphatanasakun and prachin songphao (another impossibles alum). enjoy!

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