Island Mele John Berger

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"Ki Ho'alu"

Makana
Makana Music

Makana's third album is the one that many people have been anticipating for several years. After doing two albums that displayed his depth and vision as a singer-songwriter and guitarist, he is now focusing on his musical roots with an album subtitled "Journey of Hawaiian Slack Key," celebrating the beauty and diversity of pure Hawaiian slack key. It is a finely crafted portrait of a major artist, his music and his heritage.

While Makana performs several original tunes, he also puts his stamp on several slack-key standards like "Moana Chimes" and "Makee 'Ailana." He plays some of them in ways that suggest the techniques of older masters, while he deconstructs and reworks other compositions in ways that offer fresh views on familiar melodies.

This album is a true gift for slack-key fans.

www.makanalive.com

Mpeg Audio Clips: "How'd Ya Do" "Makee 'Ailana" "Song for Sonny" Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info

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"I Want My Island Girl"

Darrell Labrado
Aloha Entertainment Group

Darrell Labrado and his Aloha Entertainment Group brain trust are continuing to work "I Want My Island Girl" as the song they hope will make him a national star, bypassing some of the local roadblocks that have held back his career. This two-CD release includes the original CD-single version of the song along with five new remixes. Producer Chris Pati has Labrado singing in a style reminiscent of Stevie Wonder over instrumental tracks that combine pop and reggae elements, and just a hint of Madonna's 1990 hit "Vogue." All in all, this is perfect product for Hawaii's island music-formatted radio stations.

The second disc is a music video DVD of the original mix that not only reinforces his youthful appeal, but promotes the beauty of Hawaii's island girls as well.

alohaentgroup.com

Mpeg Audio Clips: "I Want My Island Girl" (Remix) Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info

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"The Water Is Wide"

Mark Nelson
Acme Arts

Nelson is a musician who possesses that rare combination of insight and talent necessary to successfully transcend conventional concepts of genre and culture. He does so here with instrumental interpretations of melodies from Hawaii, Scotland, Appalachia and Mexico that he has arranged to blend the familiar sound of Hawaiian slack key with that of the dulcimer (a grass-roots Euro-American instrument). Nelson, who credits Keola Beamer as an inspiration and mentor, plays both slack-key guitar and various dulcimers, while several guests sit in on various tracks. Hawaiian standards and Scottish airs alike assume wondrous new forms in these arrangements.

A slack-key treatment of Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo," an Appalachian-flavored take on "Pua Sadinia" and a bluesy interpretation of "'Opihi Moemoe" are among the gems that await discovery.

mark-o.com

Mpeg Audio Clips: "The Water Is Wide" "Mood Indigo Slack" "'Opihi Blues" Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info

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See the Columnists section for some past reviews.

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. Contact John Berger at jberger@starbulletin.com.