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"Live" At Hank's Place

The Makaha Sons Of Ni'ihau
(Quiet Storm)

This newly reissued album is unique in the history of the Sons. It is the only one that they didn't record for Poki Records, and it was their first live album as well.

The music has aged well. It's clear that by the early 1980s that the guys were transitioning out of their being a junior varsity version of the Sons of Hawaii. Mel Amina switching to the electric bass was a significant break from their earlier acoustic instrumentation, but their repertoire and arrangements were still staunchly traditionalist.

This album was always the Sons' most obscure, and it's great to finally have it on CD. This 25th anniversary reissue comes complete with Puakea Nogelmeier's liner notes, providing English translations and background information.

www.quietstorm.com

Mpeg Audio Clips: "Ka Mamakakaua" "Wahine 'Ilikea" "Hawai'i '78" Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info

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"12 of the hottest new Lo-Boy Tracks"

Lo-Boy
(Lo-Boy)

This producer's demo is a pleasant surprise for several reasons. Alvin "Lo-Boy" Brazley is exploring a smooth acid jazz/cool house sound rather than local-style hip-hop stuff, and he approaches familiar pop chart hits from interesting directions. Brazley even gives credit to the artists and composers whose music he's using, which is a refreshing bit of professionalism in a market where many producers feign ignorance of mechanical licenses and copyright law!

Brazley deploys an eclectic assortment of live and synthesized instruments around the seductive voices of Noe and Mandi. Live horns, acoustic guitar and a sitar provide some of the more intriguing melodic textures. A couple of anonymous male rappers step up as well.

www.lo-boy.com

Mpeg Audio Clips: "Your With Me" "Light My Fire" "Harmony" Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info

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"My 9th Island Paniolo Ranch"

Danny Estocado
(Hana's Own Productions)

Estocado lives in Las Vegas, bills himself as "Maui's Hawaiian Cowboy," calls Nevada the "Ninth Island," and recorded this album in Nashville, Tenn. The studio musicians are good, but the closer Estocado gets to mainstream country material, the more he sounds like a local karaoke singer who is trying very, very hard to sound like what he thinks country singers sound like.

This isn't it.

Estocado does decent impressions of Freddy Fender and Conway Twitty, although why anyone other than friends and family would want to hear them is a mystery. He hits his nadir, however, with his vocal assault on "Daddy's Home." Cutting back on the vibrato would make his singing on some of the other tunes more credible.

Two earnest autobiographical songs deserve an E-for-effort, just because anything is better than a bad remake.

Estocado has a winner, however, with a rocking rendition of "Jesus Hold My Hand." It suits his voice and showcases the backup band. His use of Hawaiian lyrics there, and on "Long Black Train," is also a good idea.

The best comes last as Estocado and his band blast through Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Pride and Joy." Maybe the self-styled cowboy should consider a change of repertoire.

www.hawaiiancowboy.com

Mpeg Audio Clips: "Wasted Days And Wasted Nights" "It's Only Make Believe" "Jesus Hold My Hand" Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info