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"Hula Lives!"

Kimo Alama Keaulana and Lei Hulu
Mele Nani

Keaulana has been known in recent years more as a teacher and cultural resource than as a recording artist, and for that reason, this beautifully crafted collection of Hawaiian and hapa-haole standards may take some by surprise. The album captures the sound of what Keaulana calls "honest Hawaiian music" perfectly.

He writes in the liner notes that "Authenticity seems elusive in today's Hawaiian music." With that in mind, his smooth arrangements of oft-recorded songs such as "Laupahoehoe Hula" and "Henehene Ko 'Aka" can be appraised as standards by which to assess the earnest efforts of younger and perhaps less meticulous artists.

Keaulana completes this landmark album by providing the Hawaiian lyrics, English translations, and fascinating background information about the songs and its composers.

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"Kettle of Dreams"

Steve Kramer
Dolphin's Song

Singer-songwriter Steve Kramer offers Hawaii a perfect children's album with this charming effort. Kramer doesn't patronize his young listeners with ponderous lessons or shortchange them with mindless fluff. His lyrics make it clear that he recalls what life is like for a curious and sometimes insecure child. Imaginative bits and pieces in the arrangements add entertainment value.

"I Took a Ride to the End of My Street" and "I Wish That I Could Fly" express a child's confidence and imagination, while "Tutu I Love You, I Do!" explains why a grandparent can also be a kid's best friend. "Have You Heard?" introduces kids to famous people ranging from Mozart to Eartha Kitt to Rachel Carson while reassuring them that even famous people start off as babies.

His whimsical "Aren't Animals Kinda Like People?" also gives kids plenty to think about.

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"Rising Son"

O-Shen
Sharpnote

O-Shen's third album reaffirms his place as a leader and uniquely talented innovator in the Jawaiian scene. Local "kanakafarians" seeking only mindless skanking can lose themselves in the rhythms, but more mature minds will applaud his commitment to writing progressive lyrics. O-Shen shares the Rastafarian philosophy, warning his audience to look beyond ethnic stereotypes, and encourages them to be politically aware. There's even a reference to safe sex.

O-Shen was raised speaking fluent Niugini pidgin in Papua New Guinea, and his use of the dialect and Niugini-accented English gives him a distinctive sound. An accomplished lyricist, he deftly rhymes "Lono" with "ono" in a reference to Captain Cook, and uses "swimmin' in the linen," along with more conventional euphemisms, when describing a sexual encounter.

Both lyrically and musically, this is perhaps, so far, the best island music album of the year.

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