Island Mele
Swanson signals her
superioritySign of the Times
THIS five-song mini album reaffirms Gail Swanson's stature as a local artist ready for national success. It also made her a finalist for "Rock Album of the Year" honors in the 1999 Hoku Awards.
Swanson's voice is appealing, the arrangements have depth, and the lyrics create memorable images. Swanson could have opened for Sheryl Crow this month and not suffered in comparison. She's one Hawaii-based pop artist who doesn't sound like a local pop artist.
BUTCH Helemano embraced reggae well before "Jawaiian" music became trendy and rarely strayed from his original sound. Unlike many local artists, he never affected a faux Jamaican accent or posed as a Rastafarian. The fact that there was no "Best of ... Volume One" is another example of his individuality.
The 16 songs here well represent his early work. Topics include Biblical events, surfing, local fruits, and girls. All are original, but the liner notes don't say which "out of print albums" they're from or what inspired him. Given that Helemano wrote "Vampire" about a local record producer there must be some interesting stories here too.
Scott Allan enlisted Mackey Feary and Kirk Thompson to help with his CD single. The title song is a light and breezy local pop number that equates embracing "the American Dream" with rejecting Hawaiian culture. "Don't Laugh At Me" is an eloquent plea for tolerance on behalf of everyone from kids who get picked last at recess to "the cripple on the corner." Some local social services group should grab it as an anthem.
Feary did the background tracks shortly before his death. A portion of the proceeds go to the Sebastian Feary Scholarship Fund.
See Record Reviews for some of John Berger's past reviews.
See Aloha Worldwide for locals living away.
John Berger, who has covered the local
entertainment scene since 1972, writes reviews of recordings
produced by Hawaii artists. See the Star-Bulletin's Home Zone
section on Fridays for the latest reviews.
