Nantida Kawbuasai | Jum Kun Bor Dai Ka

 

Listen to "Noi Noi Nhoi Ko"

Grab the album here.

Special thanks to monrakplengthai's Peter Doolan for singer name, track titles and a bit of info about the artist.

Nantida Kawbuasia, according to Peter, is best-known as an actor who was most active in the 1970s and 80s. Apparently, she also sang. These songs (which I'm guessing were probably first heard in films) sound like they were made in the 70s or 80s, and even have a bit of Hong Kong-y proto-Canto- / Mandopop to them. But, really? They're Thai. And pop. And they sound it. 

I love, love, love, love, love the horns. In so many more recent recordings, horns have been replaced by synths / Casios, so it's nice to hear the real thing every now and then, even if I'm not, actually, a synth / Casio hater. Here, they're simply lovely.

I picked this rather plucky gem up at the Vientiane Asian Grocery Store in Seattle's super-diverse Othello neighborhood. I should also tell you that I came away with a few dozen albums from Thailand, Laos and Cambodia--all from groceries / bodegas in Othello. Watch this space for more shares and a special Bodega Pop Live show I'll be doing soon, featuring some of the most amazing tracks from this ridiculous haul.

Oh! I also gave a talk at this year's EMP Pop Conference -- I'll have to write a bit about that, too. More soon; I gotta go get groceries and do a bit of laundry.