TENDERONI and mentor-managers Matt Young and Tai Okamura make it all good - and easily eclipse the quartet's prior recordings in the process - with this full-length debut album.
Each of the quartet's recordings marked a step forward, but "West Side Harmony" makes a quantum leap forward and will likely stand as the best pop music album released this year by a local label.
Young and his creative brain trust (Okamura, Timmy Gatling and Dirk Hara) present the group - sisters Dee, Jay, Max and Tee - going slow and romantic for the most part. A majority of the songs are new and not associated with other artists. "Precious Moments" is particularly noteworthy as a song co-written by the group.
The group's remake of Al Green's 1971 signature hit, "Let's Stay Together," is quite possibly the year's best local remake of a mainstream pop chart hit in any genre. Dee sings sweetly and seductively. The arrangement is more than a Fugees-style plundering of a familiar song. The interplay between Dee and male vocalists Meache and Timmy brings to mind Johnny Bristol's work opposite Diana Ross on "Someday We'll Be Together" but doesn't plagiarize that idea either.
A beautiful treatment of the Flamingos' 1959 classic, "Lovers Never Say Goodbye," likewise offers a fresh perspective. It is also a beautiful showcase for the girls' harmonies.
"Hold Tight (Giv'em Mama)" reworks a musical idea from the 1040s into an ode to the girls' favorite local food. It too shows promise, imagination and diversity.