Aloha mai!I have been more than excessively busy this month, and things don't look to calm down in the near future. To keep this page of use to you Hawaiian music lovers out there, I'm going to concentrate on the CD reviews and let the concert info go for a while. A good on-line source of concerts is The Hawaiian Music Island at www.mele.com. Please check there for the latest listings. And BTW, thanks to the people who wrote in to ask me/explain that the December 13 & 14 concerts that I had listed for the Makaha Sons are in Tempe, Arizona.
Recordings
Pure Heart, Pure Heart 2.5(Four Strings FSCD 7488). Pure Heart, the hot young band that can't think of names for their CDs, has come out with their Christmas release. Jon, Lopaka, and Jake do a fine but not outstanding job on this release. To my taste, the instrumentals are still the real grabbers, as the inventive percussion, and the clean, fast, and intricate ukulele work are what set this group head and shoulders above the competition. This is not to dis Jon's voice, which is husky, country, and capable: it's just that the essence of Pure Heart, to me, is in the instrumentals. There's a cracklin' "At Christmas Time," a meditative instrumental, "Day After Winter," a jaunty "Jingle Bells." Other holiday favorites include "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer," "Twelve Days of Christmas Hawaiian Style," "Christmas Lu'au," and "Let it Snow." A nice addition to the Christmas repertoire. Fans should rush right out and get it.
Nohelani Cypriano, Loyal Garner, Carole Kai, and Melveen Leed, Local Divas' Christmas (Local Divas Production LDPCD 401). Four of Hawai'i's most popular female singers have banded together to produce what might have been a blockbuster release, but falls short of expectations. The cheap-sounding synthesizers detract, as does the contemporary treatment of most of the classics. "Angels We Have Heard on High" slides back and forth between a reggae and a gospel inflection, "Some Children See Him" has a restless reggae beat, and the charmless contemporary songs don't highlight the beauty of the voices or prove memorable. The only two songs for which this treatment work are the sultry "Santa Baby" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" -- and they are saved in part due to the piano accompaniment that is head and shoulder superior to the synthetic stuff. Christmas traditionalists will hate this CD. Fans of the divas may possibly overlook its obvious flaws.
Hookena, Hookena 5 (Ho'omau Inc. HICD 1005) This is another winner for Ho'okena, a group that only gets better with each CD. The trademark sweet but never cloying harmonies are here, burnished by time to blend as lightly as a blossom floating on the breeze, and the artful showcasing of guest artists Robert Cazimero and Keali'i Reichel illustrate the group's musically generous heart. My only quibble with the group is that it doesn't take a lot of chnces (compare their safe and sonorous version of "Ka Loke" to the Dennis Pavao/Makaha Sons pedal-to-the-metal falsetto version, but that is a stylistic choice they have made that they carry through exceptionally well. This is a treat for the ears and the heart. This CCD is so popular that it sold out in Hilo, and I had to send a friend there a copy from Honolulu! I also bought one myself. [g] Songs include "Ka Loke," "From a Dancer," "Heha Waipio," "Hawaiian Soul," "Hilo Nani E," and "Pua A'ali'i."
Amy Hanaiali'i and Willie K, Nostalgia (Mountain Apple MACD 2061) Wow. I can't think of another singer, with the exception of Kekuhi Kanahele, who is in a class by herself, who projects such as sense of style as Amy Hanaiali'i (she has dropped the "Gilliom" for this CD). Amy -- with equal partner Willie K. providing "world class arrangments" (a quote from the CD jacket that I agree with) has come up with an intriguing and successful concept -- traditional "hapa haole songs" - sung all in Hawaiian. This change in language frees the songs from preconceived arrangements and comparisons and lends them freshness. And then Amy goes to town, playing with the stylings and always getting them right. Songs include a light and playful "My Little Grass Shack," a superb "Rock A Hula" that puts Elvis in the shade, and a caressing "Blue Hawaii." I'm not in love with the shifting tempos in "Sophisticated Hula," but it is an interesting interpretation. If you like hapa haole music, get this one -- you will find it delightful!
See you in December - a hui hou!
--Susan
susanj@lava.net
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