Dennis Pavao sings all vocal parts and plays most of the instruments on his latest offering, one of the year's best.
THE multi-faceted Maui guitarist and falsetto master Dennis Pavao reinvents himself with "Sweet Leilani," a glorious celebration of Territorial Era hapa-haole classics.
As with his previous album, "Wale No," "Leilani" is practically a solo masterpiece. Pavao sang all the vocal parts and played everything except steel guitar. The album is absolutely beautiful throughout. With 12 songs and almost a full hour of music it is a great buy as well.
Pavao's renditions of "Sweet Leilani" and "Blue Hawaii" quickly re-establish his credentials as an old-style romantic crooner popularized worldwide on "Hawaii Calls."
"Hanalei Moon" becomes an exquisite showcase for his falsetto. Pavao's take on "Sophisticated Hula" is imaginative and memorable; mainland fans will love his rendition of "Ke Kali Nei Au," too.
The absence of synthesized sonic filler results in crystalline instrumental arrangements as beautiful as his vocals. This is one of the year's best.
Rap's rap holds up today.
A must-buy for anyone interested in local comedy is "The Best of Rap Too." This album pretty well completes the rerelease on disc of material Rap Reiplinger recorded for Tom Moffatt in the early '80s. "The Best of Rap" was released in 1993; Reiplinger's earlier solo albums are available on the Mountain Apple Company anthology, "Poi Dog With Crabs." The photos on "Rap Too" are from his 1981 album, "Strange Bird," the lettering from his last album, "Towed Away."
Reiplinger's material has aged well. His contributions to the "kanaka komedy" of Booga Booga and the contents of his five solo albums still define popular perceptions on local comedy. Many of his ideas and characters have been copied almost to the point of plagiarism by others.
The disc includes almost everything from "Towed Away." Highlights include "Man With the Cho-Cho Lips," "The Exorcist," "The Coffee Commercial" and an uncredited appearance by Booga Booga's Ed Kaahea on "The Helicopter." One or two of the 22 pieces are problematic. "Ballad of Shige and the Goat" came awfully close to plagiarizing Johnny Horton's "Battle of New Orleans."
In its entirety, the sheer diversity of Reiplinger's material - from quick bits to lengthy comic character sketches - leaves no doubt of his creative comic genius.
Liner notes by Booga Booga's James Grant Benton add a poig-nant counterpoint to Reiplinger's inimitable wit and help make this album a perfect introduction to contemporary local comedy.
Caught in the Act: By Gregg "Hammer" (Quiet Storm), cassette
THE seminal presence of Rap Reiplinger permeates "Caught in the Act," a debut by Gregg "Hammer" (yes, the quote marks are part of his name) - HPD officer and I-94 radio personality.
The most obvious Reiplinger knock-off is a sarcastic and sassy "auntie." Other familiar figures include an effeminate kumu hula and stereotypical Chinese and Filipino characters.
Abbott & Costello's classic "Who's On First" routine is recycled as a low-impact conversation between a stereotypical Filipino and Larry Price; the bit may appeal to I-94 listeners unfamiliar with the original. Crank phone calls for people with names like Phil McCrevice and Harry Sacks are also part of the repertoire.
"Hammer" is best known as a witty member of the Rory Wild/
Shilynne Cole "Wake-Up Crew," but anyone old enough to remember Reiplinger - or Billy Sage's classic "Honk if You Love George" - will find few fresh ideas. Dialect humor on "Kip Reilly School" and "The Trial" are the best examples of original thinking.
Credit "Hammer" and producer John Iervolino with adding subtle nuances by carefully selecting the background music.