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Island Mele
Friday, April 7, 2000
‘Dream’ moves beyond
‘The Norm’Unforgettable Dream:
By Norm (Neos V041)NORM Thompson's 1998 debut album, "Just the Norm," had some promising songs. His second album is a big step forward for him as a writer and recording artist. The originals are more interesting than the remakes but he does well with straight covers of "Oh No" and "I Want to be Your Man."
Two impressive reggae-beat originals, "Polynesian People" and "Local Girls," show his ability as a writer and are perfect picks for "island music" radio. "Polynesian People" is also a powerful anthem.
"Miss My Baby" adds a smooth mainstream urban-pop ballad to the collection. Norm is now getting radio play here but clearly has national pop chart potential.
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By Willie Hill (Royal Records RR 002)THE contrast between Willie Hill's deep voice and Charles Rowe's perky clarinet makes the title song of Hill's debut R&B, blues and funk CD an instantly memorable pop song. The partnership works equally well on "Rock Bottom Blues" with Pierre Grill adding fine work on piano.
"595" shows Hill's appeal as writer, rapper and comedian. "Stop On By" evokes memories of Barry White, but with humorous touches. Others find Hill doing old-style disco and funk.
The cover art is crude but curiosity seekers will find a promising artist and several good songs within.
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By The Torres Family, (DCL Music 2000)JULIAN Torres and his seven sisters did this Christian album as a requiem for their parents. The kids' soft-pop harmonizing is "inspirational" rather than gospel but sister Addie Torres Delos Reyes plays keyboards and leads a small band in giving the arrangements a grass roots feel and a heartfelt ambience.
The family recorded this in a Molokai church and it certainly sounds like a basic "live" album. With no composers credits included in the packaging there's no way to tell if any of the songs are originals. ("I Believe" is a Christian standard and "Around the World" is apparently a pop hit someone rewrote with Christian lyrics.)
Original or not, the kids do their parents proud.
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See Record Reviews for some past reviews.
See Aloha Worldwide for locals living away.John Berger, who has covered the local
entertainment scene since 1972, writes reviews of recordings
produced by Hawaii artists. See the Star-Bulletin's Today
section on Fridays for the latest reviews.
