Island Mele

By John Berger

"Blue Collar Blues"

Proliteariots No label

This semi-underground debut album by the Proliteariots -- Johnny Tsunami, Nocturne, Whimbly SmallFry and StapleMouth -- was released last week at the Wave Waikiki. It marks their graduation from cult-act status in great style.

The rappers and crew are making their own way in blending African-American and Caucasian-American rap with rock/rap and narrative rock. They'd be due some respect just for eschewing trite "gangsta" and pseudo-rasta accents, but the incisiveness of their raps, and the imagination evident in the production of their backing tracks, earns then props on its own strengths.

The selections require careful listening to appreciate. They yield fresh insights on repeat plays. That's all the more reason to applaud the emergence of the Proliteariots.

www.prolits.com

Mpeg Audio Clips: Blue Collared Patriots On Parade w/ Amos, OmegaCix High Fences Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info

"Ohta-san Plays the Beatles"

Ohta-san M&H Hawaii

Herb "Ohta-san" Ohta, easily the most prolific ukulele virtuoso/recording artist of the last century, hasn't slowed down a bit since Y2K. In the last year alone, he released at least one new solo album and two with fellow uke virtuoso Lyle Ritz.

For this project, Ohta and producer Michiko Urata signed on a studio band that includes Pierre Grill (Hammond B-3) and jazz masters Bruce Hamada (acoustic/electric bass) and Jim Howard (acoustic/electric piano). Ohta's ukulele thus shares the spotlight with other instruments in jazz-oriented arrangements of 19 Beatles songs.

Ukulele fans will again marvel at Ohta's command of the instrument. (He plays a 3M Martin.) The ensemble successfully reworks the familiar melodies of Harrison, Lennon and McCartney by approaching them from imaginative perspectives.

M&H Hawaii
P.O. Box 325
1164 Bishop Street
Honolulu HI 96813

Mpeg Audio Clips: Get Back Yesterday My Sweet Lord Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info

"Living in a Movie"

Gail Swanson Rock Fever

If there were a Hoku Award for "Most Elaborate Album Packaging," Maui resident Gail Swanson would win it. Her double-CD album, released on Maui last year, opens into a five-panel portfolio that includes a complete "script" with song lyrics and background information on the songs and the artist. All 16 songs are originals.

Swanson writes and records electric and acoustic rock with equal skill. Her voice, slightly worn yet romantic and appealing, fits both styles. She writes in her liner notes that she could have put all the songs on one CD but decided it was better aesthetically to not jumble the two styles together.

Rock fans should go straight to "Paper Doll," her comment on the "flavor of the month" syndrome in contemporary pop music. "Get Outta My Dreams" is an equally powerful introduction to her acoustic blues/rock repertoire.

www.gailswanson.com

Mpeg Audio Clips: Living In A Movie Paper Doll Get Outta My Dreams Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info

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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.