More Cambodian Rock

The lovely Ros Sereysothea comprises about half of the Cambodia Rocks compilation. That's not a complaint; her pinched singing style takes nasal to beyond-human levels that are fascinating. Southeast Asian ideal meets Western rock and roll. Pan Ron's got it, too, along with a prominent organ and a brief wah-wah guitar solo on Knyom Mun Sok Jet Te. There's one song by the obscure Liev Tuk (anyone heard of him?) that borrows the horn line from Carla Thomas and Otis Redding's Tramp. But like Ros Sereysothea, Liev Tuk's voice is barely human. His growls and grunts are... well, just weird. Ros Sereysothea's Jam 10 Kai Thiet is great to hear right after Liev Tuk's offering: she's just that much more of a refined tonic. The guitars don't cease to amaze, and the organs are consistently funky. Wow, what if Cambodia had collaborated with Stax?

Jeff in the Responses at Aquarian Drunkard mentions his site devoted to Khmer pop, modestly describing it as "a bunch of mp3s and some YouTube videos." Admit it, Jeff! You've got tons of great shit up there. Plus lengthy, RFI-style bios of his favorite singers, Cambodian rock giants Sinn Sisamouth, Ros Sereysothea, Pan Ron and So Savoeun.

By the way has anyone heard anything about John Pirozzi's movie Don't Think I've Forgotten? Like when it's coming out?