Friday Record Reviews
By John Berger,
Special to the Star-Bulletin
Friday, May 3, 1996
THE best that can be said about this anthology is that the cover is pretty. It offers a mixed bag of classics and clunkers apparently culled at random from prior Paradise and Bluewater releases. The lack of annotation, composers' credits and publishers' listings is inexcusable.Musical highlights in terms of popularity and significance are Rap Reiplinger's "Puka Shell Tour Guide," Hui Ohana's "Pua Tuberose," Keola Beamer's "Wings of a Seabird" and "Behold Laie" by Loyal Garner and Robert Cazimero.
Why should an anthology be annotated? Answer the following: Is "Behold Laie" about the splendors of the Polynesian Cultural Center? What national recording artist did Rap Reiplinger owe big-time for his sardonic anti-tourist parody? Is that Sonny Burke's original production of Don Ho's "Tiny Bubbles" or a rerecording? Who are Hawaiian Time and Bruddah Ku'ulei?
Recent arrivals won't know. Nor will they know that Paradise/Bluewater principal Tom Moffatt twice accomplished the "impossible" in 1982 by persuading first Cecilio & Kapono then Kalapana to reunite for concerts at the Waikiki Shell. That's when those live recordings were made.
Prior albums in the series at least identified the albums the tracks were culled from. This one doesn't even offer that much. Oh well. The answers are: 1. No; 2. Glenn Campbell; 3. A rerecording; 4. Promising Lanai-based Hawaiian Time was overproduced as a flavor-of-the-month local pop act in 1993; Ku'ulei Ahuna deserved more attention than he received in 1994.
THIS Big Island sextet plays a style of contemporary local music popular since the mid-1960s. It blends traces of Latin rhythms with mainstream American pop music melodies, solo vocalist, acoustic guitars and multiple percussionists. A sax player, electronic drum programmer and extra percussionist joined in on the recording.Most of the songs are by bassist/vocalist Keoki Cortez. He writes in several styles and often uses rhythm rather than rhyme to propel his lyrics. Guitarists Eddie Heaukulani and Kaleo Sniffin generally carry the instrumental melodies; keyboards are used sparingly. "God Save The World" utilizes most of the group's strengths; it isn't reggae but sounds natural for play on "island music" radio stations.
"I Can Never Live Without Out You" is a medley that segues from that Cortez original into the Four Seasons' 1975 hit, "Who Loves You" (otherwise comprehensive liner notes fail to credit the composers and publishers of the old hit).
THE main creative force behind this 12-song sampler is composer/guitarist Eric "Shims" Shimamoto. Eddie Akana Sr., Clarke Bright, Wendell "Wendo" Donlin, Leland Higa, Brian Matson, Grifford "Kamaka" Tom and Charlie Wahineho'okae are the other members of the ohana; Donlin and Higa also write songs.Shimamoto and his friends explore a wide range of styles - contemporary beach boy pop to cosmopolitan melodies that would fit "beautiful music" radio nationwide. Lyric facets include an oblique endorsement of Sovereignty, a call to preserve the environment, and a testament of Christian faith. A single Hawaiian language song, Liana K. Iaea Honda's "Ku'u Lei Mokihana, adds another dimension.
Brief but informative annotation shares the stories behind the songs.
Let's hope this isn't a one-shot project by Shimamoto and his friends.