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Island Mele
John Berger
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"Aloha Festivals Hawaiian
Falsetto Contest Winners Vol. 7"
Various artists
(Hula)
"Flip" McDiarmid III and Hula Records continue their support of the Aloha Festivals' male falsetto singing contests with this compilation album of recordings by its four recent winners: Benson Kam, Ronnie Kaohelauili, Hiroshi Okada and Bill Wynne. The popularity of Hawaiian male falsetto singing, and the success of the four contests in promoting it, can be seen in the fact that two of the winners come from outside Hawaii -- Okada is from Japan and Wynne from New Jersey.
As with previous albums in the series, this is a committee project that draws on the talents of three producers and several combinations of backing musicians. (One of the producers, Hoku Award-winner William "Baba" Alimoot, played acoustic bass and did all the backing vocals.) Falsetto aficionados can assess the talent of each singer, but most will agree that all four are worthy representatives of this uniquely Hawaiian style of singing.
This is the first album of the series to have a theme, and many of the songs have ties of one kind or another to the paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) tradition. It's appropriate, then, that the final song is 1992 contest winner Kalei Bridges' vintage recording of "Hawaiian Cowboy."
"Kalakaua"
Kulia I Ka Punawai
(Daniel Ho Creations)
King Kalakaua was caricatured for much of his life as a dissolute "merrie monarch" who did little except spend money and throw big parties. But he is now rightly recognized and honored as a Hawaiian patriot and patron of the arts. Palani Vaughan honored Kalakaua with the four-album "Ia 'Oe E Ka La" series in the 1970s. This album, a collaborative project by the members of an association of hula halau in Southern California, builds on Vaughan's concept in several significant ways.
First, all but two of the 19 chants date from Kalakaua's reign. "Kawika" and "Kalakaua" were performed at his coronation in 1883, and 15 others were composed to commemorate his 50th birthday in 1886. In short, the lyrics and the sentiments they convey reflect the feelings of the time rather than modern-day tributes. (There is also a contemporary chant that calls on Hawaiians to honor the traditional culture; the other modern chant thanks California for welcoming "those who wandered.")
Packaged with liner notes that provide the Hawaiian lyrics, English translations and historical information, this landmark album is a perfect introduction to the cultural legacy of Kalakaua.
"Live Love, Love Life"
Darrell Aquino
(Daddy Leopard)
Aquino takes a break from his Hoku Award-winning partnership with M. Kalani Souza and their SUGaHDaDDY 'ehawaiianrockband with this economically produced solo album featuring his original songs. Fans of SUGaHDaDDY will find Aquino's music a natural progression from his work with the band, while others already with a taste for singer-songwriters will find this album worth sampling.
Aquino opens with a Hawaiian song co-written with Alohalani Housman that sets the mood and establishes the acoustic format of the album. The second song, "Michelle's Millions," boosts the energy level and displays Aquino's finesse as a lyricist; the song is not about money, but the many ideas his wife brings to their relationship.
Guitarist Clayton Apilando and drummer Mark Caldeira later join Aquino on "Right or Wrong," the heaviest and hardest-rocking song on the album. He mellows out after that with a mixed bag of insightful songs that includes the title number, which could be a Christian song. If that's the case, he doesn't assault the listener with a heavy born-again message. Good work, Darrell!
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. Reach John Berger at
jberger@starbulletin.com.