Island Mele John Berger

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Record labels used to introduce new artists with debut singles, but the preferred method these days is to put out a compilation album that showcases a half-dozen or more newbies at once. That's the strategy behind this new compilation, which showcases an assortment of Valley Island artists.

Two or three have been heard on previous compilations, and another, Zacc Kekona, already has a full-length album on his resume. The others are pretty much unknown outside Maui. All the songs are originals; most have Jawaiian rhythms.

A female singer named Chantelle makes a promising debut with the lead-off track, "Give Me," a seductive "urban" love song that describes an ideal romantic relationship. The single-monikered vocalist has an appealing pop style, and the addition of two studio musicians to the producers' one-size-fits-all music sequencing tracks adds texture to the arrangement.

Production values are admirable throughout, but the album would do more to promote the individual artists if there were at least a little personal information included along with the production credits.

MP3 Audio Clips* Give Me Come Close It's You

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Mainstream jazz meets political poetry in this self-produced calling card. A Miles Davis melody provides the musical foundation for lyricist Jon Wolf's message about the importance of developing large-scale sources of renewable energy. The concept is reminiscent of the classic recordings of Gil Scott-Heron and the many performance poets who followed him. Wolf has a good handle on the lyrics, and the arrangement swings.

The group practices the principles it advocates. Wolf, who also plays acoustic bass, is joined by Stewart Cunningham on trumpet and Angela Williams on acoustic resonator guitar. No electricity is needed -- at least when the group plays smaller venues.

Cunningham's muted trumpet and Williams' guitar work off each other in ways that create interesting variations on Davis' melody. Drummer Justin James, who gets "special thanks" in the credits, adds vibrant counterpoints to Wolf's work and expands the range and the textures of the rhythm section. James, or a similarly talented drummer, should definitely be on the scene when Quantum Jazz returns to the studio to record a full-length album.

MP3 Audio Clips* Solar

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Few groups had as much impact on Hawaiian music in the second half of the 20th century as the Kahauanu Lake Trio. Kahauanu Lake (ukulele), Tommy Lake (acoustic bass) and Al Machida (acoustic guitar) epitomized the elegance of traditional Hawaiian music and presented it with impeccable style. Kahauanu Lake's arrangements, and his distinctive technique of playing the ukulele left-handed, made the K-Lake Trio a unique attraction throughout its many years in Waikiki.

This album, from 1968, contains no filler songs. Most were Hawaiian standards when the group recorded them. Others have become so -- "Kawena," written by Kahauanu Lake for Mary Kawena Pukui, first and foremost. One of the most memorable, however, is the trio's version of "Henehene Kou 'Aka," a song that some artists do with unnecessary emphasis on the sexual kaona (hidden meanings) in the lyrics. Hawaiian lyrics are known for their subtlety, however, and K-Lake's zesty version addresses the subject matter without getting crude.

Flip McDiarmid, producer of this re-issue, adds value to the original package with additional annotation and an extra song.

MP3 Audio Clips* Na Wai E Pipi'i Lei Lokelani Henehene Kou 'Aka