Paniolo tribute
right on the rangeNa Mele O Paniolo (Songs of the Hawaiian Cowboy) By various artists (Warner Western)
THE Warner Western label specializes in preserving the folk music traditions of the American West -- "cowboy" and Native American alike. Hawaii's paniolo traditions pre-date the "Wild West" era, so this album fits perfectly.
Warner Western President Jim Ed Norman and Nani Lim Yap produced it in conjunction with Edgy Lee's documentary film, "Paniolo O Hawai'i," but it stands on its own as a perfect introduction to traditional paniolo music.
Norman and Yap include slack-key, falsetto, chant, fiddle, ukulele and a string quartet. The selections range from 19th-century classics to several new songs by Sonny Lim, who sings or plays on most of the tracks. Yap, Kindy Sproat, Leabert Lindsey, Gary Haleamau and Warner Western's Michael Martin Murphey are featured guests.
"Adios Ke Aloha," sung as a romantic duet by Yap and Haleamau, is one of the highlights. Sproat's "talk story" introduction to "Pu'u Huluhulu" is another.
Norman and Yap provide lyrics, translations, background information on each song, paniolo history and photos of old-time paniolo at work. Herb Kane cover art completes the package.
Down 2 Us: By Roshan and Shivani Kumar (Cosmic Cat)
ROSHAN and Shivani Kumar introduce themselves with a full album of polished easy listening pop originals. Composer Roshan is the primary musician. Vocalist Shivani also plays keyboards.
Roshan is a resourceful producer/arranger who gets a solid sound out of synthetic instruments while employing a variety of moods and rhythms. There are hints of Basia, Seawind, R&B trio Tony! Toni! Tone!, and the Atlantic/Stax-Volt roots R&B sound of the late '60s. Yet, nothing here is blatantly derivative.
The title song offers inspiration to any couple facing hard times. "Moon Magic" captures the ambience of a romantic moonlit evening. If Hawaii had a progressive "easy listening" radio station Roshan & Shivani would be getting play.
King of Kings
By Daniel Rae Costello (West Maui Recordings)
DANIEL Rae Costello shares his faith in the unconditional love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ with this mixed bag of originals and relatively obscure songs by others.
As in his previous albums, Costello works primarily with Caribbean rhythms. His vocal style is somewhat reminiscent of UB40, but he is an effective stylist who avoids plagiarizing the patois of the British Caribbean.
His lyrics come from the heart, although two songs are sung in an unidentified language. Including lyrics and translations of those songs would make their message accessible to English-speaking listeners.
John Berger, who has covered the local entertainment scene since 1972, writes reviews of recordings produced by Hawaii artists. See the Star-Bulletin's Home Zone section on Fridays for the latest reviews.
See Record Reviews for some of John Berger's past reviews.
