Island Mele

By John Berger

"Reggae Reggae Music"

Kohomua
Tano Productions

Kohomua approaches Jamaican-style music with a polished, mainstream pop perspective. Unlike some island music releases, there are no ukuleles and no bogus Jamaican accents here. The production credits don't indicate if these guys play instruments or are a vocal trio, but about half the songs are originals, and the entire album delivers what the title promises.

All of the songs have a solid, easy groove that makes this great dance music. Smooth harmonies add soul to arrangements built around keyboards and percussion; guitar and sax provide melodic textures (perhaps they'll go for heavier bass lines next time around). "Give Me Your Love" is their best love song, "Give Thank and Praises" adds a memorable Rastafari message, and "Kohomua Roots Dub" closes the album with a reggae subgenre rarely explored by other groups on the Jawaiian/island music scene.

Mpeg Audio Clips: Reggae Reggae Music Too Experience Give Thank and Praises Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info

"Coolest Drop of Rain"

Daniel Ho
Daniel Ho Creations

Over the years, Daniel Ho has been more known for his prodigious output of interchangeable instrumental albums. This album, though, opens a new chapter in his career -- and he also sings! With a songwriting assist from Hope Sato, Faith Rivera and Corwin Hee, Ho has plenty to say. Fans of his slack-key albums may differ, but this is the most complex and interesting album of his career.

Ho is surprising as a singer. He's not a soul singer as such, but there is a soulful quality to his work. Some songs have an acoustic folk sound, others with a strong Top 40/jazz slant. The lyrical images are equally diverse. "Invisible" will speak for anyone whose experienced the torment of unrequited love and the equally dark "Suncatcher" builds to a memorable refrain.

The latter song is strong enough to put him on the national pop charts, if he chose to market it as such, but every song here is worth a listen.

www.DanielHo.com

Mpeg Audio Clips: Dear Jane Coolest Drop of Rain The Holy Road Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info

"Island Love Shack Vol. 2"

Various artists
Neos Productions

While there is no moral justification for illegally "burning" CDs, an album like this comes close to being a exception. It contains a hodgepodge of previously released stuff of uneven quality, three legitimate reggae classics and three other songs that may not have been available elsewhere the day it was released. One of the latter, Kawika Regidor's "The First Time," is the title track of his own new album. When John Iervolino introduced the compilation format to Hawaii several years ago, he made it a point of honor to include a paragraph or two of information on the artists and their songs. This label does not.

And so, with no annotation or other packaging adding value worth paying for, this compilation is for folks who want only one or two of these songs ... which they then can "burn" on CDs for friends.

www.neosproductions.com

Mpeg Audio Clips: Mysterious Girl Easy Feeling End of Time 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.