Six releases comprise this year's crop of music from local artists, and there's not a clunker in the bunch. The selection ranges from full-length Christmas albums by Nohelani Cypriano and John Keawe, to a rereleased mid-'70s classic by the Sons of Hawaii. A beautiful collection of Hawaiian-language hymns celebrates the season from a Christian perspective, and a beautiful new love song celebrates the romance of the season as well.
"Blue Hawaiian Christmas" By Nohelani Cypriano (Cypriano Productions Inc.): Nohelani Cypriano's out-of-print 1986 Christmas single provides the title song of this beautiful new album. A duet with her mother, Leina'ala Simerson, provides the sentimental highlight. When mother and daughter sing "Silent Night" in English and Hawaiian it's the first time they've recorded together.
"Silent Night" is the one song with Hawaiian lyrics. The others are mainstream holiday standards ranging from "Do You Hear What I Hear?" and "White Christmas" to an extended seven-song medley done disco style.
Most of the songs are arranged in the familiar synthesizer-pop style of Cypriano's longtime collaborator, synthetic music specialist Dennis Graue.
Cypriano's strong renditions of "Merry Christmas Darling" and "Do You Hear What I Hear?" will appeal most to local pop listeners, although her original, "Blue Hawaiian Christmas," and the duet with Mom most merit local airplay.
Two other season standards - "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and "The Christmas Song" - are also notable.
Nothing on "Blue Hawaiian Christmas" will disappoint or surprise Cypriano fans, but it's her voice that makes this album a welcome addition to the already crowded discography of local Christmas albums. She could sing almost anything and make it sound good. She does exactly that here, and includes lyrics and full production credits as well. Well done, Nohe!
"Anthems Of Hawaii" By Kawaiahao Church Choir (Waikiki Records): Strip away the high-powered commercialism and greed and Christmas is restored to its pure form as a religious holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. What better way for Hawaii residents to celebrate Christ's birth than with Hawaiian-language Christian music? The Kawaiahao Church Choir collection of songs will appeal to Christians everywhere.
The choir sings beautifully. The songs are organized to trace the evolution of Hawaiian religious music from pre-contact to modern times. They conclude with a final affirmation of Christian faith - the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's "Messiah."
Narration by the Reverend Abraham Akaka makes up in large part for a lack of annotation. His comments place each selection in context and add other nuggets of information. One thing he doesn't mention is the irony of including a chant honoring the distinctly non-Christian goddess Pele. (The missionaries who introduced choral singing to Hawaii and built Kawaiahao Church did everything in their power to destroy all memory of the volcano goddess.)
Speakers of Hawaiian will enjoy every note and syllable. So will visitors who have attended services at Kawaiahao and want a take-home souvenir.
This 38-minute album would be a better value if producer Tommy Kearns had included at least a brief history of the historic church and Reverend Akaka's many cultural contributions there. It isn't even clear when these recordings were made.
"Christmas Is..." By John Keawe (Homestead Productions): Keawe has been best known recently for his instrumental albums, but the Hoku Award-winning guitarist also sings. His fourth solo album is a beautiful celebration of Christmas and a fine musical portrait too.
Christmas often seems to be celebrated more as an orgy of greed and ostentatious consumption than for the birth of Jesus. A majority of Keawe's selections - including all his originals - place Christmas in proper perspective. The fact that Keawe shares his feelings without proselytizing makes his songs particularly appealing.
Some songs aren't specifically about Christmas. "Slack Key Heaven" honors Atta Isaacs, Sonny Chillingsworth and Gabby Pahinui ("Now they play for their master.") The idea has been used at least twice before - in Tex Ritter's "I Dreamed of A Hill-Billy Heaven" and the Righteous Brothers' "Rock and Roll Heaven." Keawe takes a completely fresh approach and includes brief instrumental impressions of each man's style as well. The song fits the theme of the album and reaffirms his perspective on Christmas as a celebration of faith.
"Christmas Time with Eddie Kamae & The Sons of Hawaii" Eddie Kamae & The Sons of Hawaii (Hawaii Sons Records): Originally recorded and released almost 20 years ago, this 28-minute album captures the Sons of Hawaii in the all-star configuration that made them a major musical presence in the late '70s: Eddie Kamae, Dennis Kamakahi, Joe Marshall and David "Feet" Rogers.
Kamae accomplished great things with earlier constellations of Sons, but these four guys were a tremendously talented quartet.
Die-hard Sons' fans will be delighted by Kamae's decision to rerelease this musical time capsule on compact disc, although the liner notes don't appear to have been updated.
"I Love Christmas," written by Kamae and his wife, has long since become a local Christmas standard. Guest vocalist Diana Aki - featured on the exquisite "Mele Au No Ku'u Ho'ola (My Redeemer)" - went on to become a Hoku Award-winning artist in her own right. She fits in beautifully with the Sons on "Christmas Long Ago" and "Away in A Manager."
The logic behind the format-busting intrusion of the Honolulu Boy Choir on several songs is puzzling. A group with the talent of the Sons of Hawai'i and Aki didn't need such incongruous filler!
Malihini will be able to identify some of the Hawaiian songs by their familiar melodies, but lyrics and translations would help; even Hawaiian speakers often find printed lyrics convenient. Updated liner notes would also share what's been happening with the Sons since 1978 (Kamae has become an acclaimed filmmaker and cultural resource, and Kamakahi a highly respected solo artist. "Feet" died years ago.)
How wonderful to have this slice of the old Sons discography on disc! This album belongs in any collection of Hawaiian music.
"Hawaiian Christmas" By Yuki "Alani" Yamauchi (Respect Records): The international popularity of Hawaiian slack-key is exemplified by this Christmas album. Japan guitarist Yuki "Alani" Yamauchi explores an assortment of holiday standards ranging from "Silent Night" to "Last Christmas." Yamauchi has studied slack-key and recorded here as well as in Japan; his music merits respect.
"Last Kiss on Christmas" By Kapala & Kapuanani (The Black & Tan Record Company), cassette-single: Zanuck Kapala Lindsey and Ginai Kapualani Hill introduce a beautiful new old-fashioned Christmas love song similar in warmth and romantic appeal to "Merry Christmas Darling." The lyrics are sweet but not cloying, the couple harmonizes beautifully, and the instrumentation is all live and synthesizer-free.
Contemporary but not abrasive, "Last Kiss on Christmas" should already be getting local radio play across the dial.