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"Islands, Sailors & the Sea"

Dave Toland
KMF Productions

Toland is a sometime resident of the Big Island whose originals are Jimmy Buffett-styled tales of tropical harbor life set to country-rock arrangements. This isn't the style of country currently topping the national charts, but if Buffett had stayed in Nashville for 30 years, songs like "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" could have sounded like Toland's tunes.

About half of them describe his experiences in the islands. "Hawaii, Hawaii, Hawaii" celebrates our natural beauty in heartfelt terms, while others tell of love found, rekindled, or lost in various tropical climes. "Kapu My Heart" displays Toland's skill at turning a phrase.

Remakes of pop classics are rarely a good idea, but Toland's poignant reworking of "Crying" captures the emotion of Roy Orbison's original 1961 hit in a fresh and effective way.

kmfpro@gte.net

Mpeg Audio Clips: "Hawaii, Hawaii, Hawaii" "Let's Take A Trip To Kona" "Crying" Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info

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"Vinyl Fantasy"

12 inch Species
Self-release

The boundaries between music and spoken-word have faded in recent years as young poets have used music and sound effects to enhance their stage performances. These recordings by Kelvin Zero, Seph One and Risup seem closer in presentation to poetry than to local rappers' Emirc or Nippondamic's work, but the three are well-known for their ability to rock the mic as high-impact club artists rather than mere artsy-fartsy poets. More important than labels, however, is the fresh insights they share in their work.

The presentation is challenging and rewards repeated play to sort through their imaginative use of sound bites and music clips. Words and phrases pop up like booby traps rather than at predictable points as in conventional verse. The impression one gets is of a seamless sonic tapestry rather than 17 separate cuts.

If all goes well, these guys will be back with more.

Mpeg Audio Clips: "Poetry Deep" "That Voice Part 2" "To Whom It May Concern" Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info

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"Hawaii My Heart"

Vera Hussey-Forbes
Vera Hussey-Forbes

Hussey-Forbes was encouraged to record in 1989 by a friend of her husband and with the support of her long-time friend and mentor Charles K.L. Davis. The result was a beautiful, albeit under-appreciated, collection of Territorial Era Hawaiian and hapa-haole standards interpreted in a glorious operatic style perfect for the material.

Recently remixed and remastered, "Hawaii My Heart" is now a welcome reissue and will hopefully get the attention it deserves.

Hussey-Forbes' smooth and sweetly textured soprano caresses the lyrics and captures the listener's heart from start to finish. An a capella rendition of "Pupu Hinuhinu" is particularly noteworthy, and her duet with Davis on "Ke Kali Nei Au (The Hawaiian Wedding Song)" is another highlight, but the other songs are gems as well. (Concise liner notes reveal the personal stories behind them all.)

Mpeg Audio Clips: "Pa'au'au Waltz" "Waikiki" "Ke Kali Nei Au" Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info

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