WHEN Mike Cord inaugurated his catalog of digitally remastered out-of-print island classics with a series of albums representing the best of Irv Pinensky's Trim and Mele labels, he responded to criticism of the bare-bones packaging by conceding the point and promising to upgrade everything when the initial run sold out. Cord kept his promise with the rerelease of this anthology. He's added three more songs to it as well.
All the biggest hits of Country Comfort, and Kaui as a solo artist, are here. "We Are The Children," "Sun Lite, Moon Lite," "Waimanalo Blues," "Pretty Girl," "Mr. Reggae" and "Sunny" top the list. "Honky Tonk Wines" is a token entry from the up-tempo end of the repertoire.
Extensive annotation, photos of the group at the Sugar Mill Lounge, and a rare shot of Kaui solo, have been added to make this a first-rate retrospective, and comparable to Cord's superbly packaged anthologies of Territorial Era Hawaiian and hapa-haole music. The old black-and-white first edition is now a collectors' curiosity; this one's definitive.
Southern Cross: By Florent & Carole Atem (Neos Productions)
FLORENT Atem plays guitar and bass; sister Carole, acoustic piano and electric keyboards. Add producer Bob St. John on drums and the result is one of the most impressive locally recorded non-Hawaiian instrumental albums of the year.
Florent writes and arranges across a spectrum of styles that extends from romantic soft pop to aggressive hard rock. All the songs here are originals. There are no immediately memorable melodic hooks but the collection as a whole takes on deeper luster with each repeat play.
St. John failed to provide any liner note information about Carole and Florent; she's 13, he's 16 and largely self-taught.
If the Hoku Awards had a category for Non-Hawaiian Instrumentals or Modern Rock, "Southern Cross" would be a favorite to win it next spring.
Diana: By Diana Amantiad (Mahielani Productions) CD single
DIANA Amantiad was best known until now as lead vocalist of Diane & Da Boyz; she helped guide the group through its evolution from local bar band through a brief flirtation with Jawaiian pseudo-reggae and on into a more distinct urban Hawaiian sound. Now she's testing the market for local Hispanic music with this two-song calling card.
"Merengue Majico" is an English-language original co-written with synthesizer specialist Dennis Graue; it's a cross-cultural vignette in the tradition of the old Miami Sound Machine.
Amantiad's take on "Sabor A Mi" displays her ability to interpret a standard.
Graue, guitarist Alfonso Velazquez, and percussionists Ray Cruz and Rodney Perez, are her economy size band.
It's been years since the Rolando Sanchez band peaked with Lin Brown as featured vocalist on "Rhythms of the Islands." Several more talented local Latin bands have yet to record. Let Amantiad's calling card be an inspiration to Hawaii's established Latin musicians and a preview of her next album.
Making Waves: By Ka'au Crater Boys (Roy Sakuma Productions)
TROY Fernandez and Ernie Cruz Jr. maintain their creative momentum in all areas on their long-anticipated fourth album. The duo covers their familiar musical spectrum - pop oldies, country, Hawaiian standards and originals. They also explore some new sounds. Fernandez's virtuosity on ukulele is a given. So is the engaging warmth of Cruz's voice; several songs showcase his talent on guitar as well.
"Makaha" is a musical landmark for several reasons. It makes good Fernandez's promise to Windward Coast surfers that he'd write a surfing song for their side of Oahu. The album-closing remix arrangement of the song finds the duo moving further into rock without compromising on their basic sound. Palolo's Chino Montero contributes a hard-edged electric guitar lead to the remix; Kit Ebersbach (keyboards) and Noel Okimoto (drums) play on both versions.
The duo's straightforward rendition of Bina Mossman's classic "He 'Ono" is delightful, but so is their salute to Ernie Cruz Sr., "Waimea Cowboy." The sense of ohana is heightened by the presence of brother John Cruz as guest vocalist on two other numbers.
Cruz's voice and Fernandez's ukulele create a fresh perspective on George Jones' 1962 country chart-topper, "She Thinks I Still Care."
Few local acts can explore such a broad musical spectrum without overextending themselves. The Boys are an exception.
Beautiful album art, impeccable packaging, and the Boys' personal thoughts on the album add the finishing touches to one of the year's best local albums.