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Island Mele
Perri adds to
impressive resume"Seasons Of Love"
Jennifer Perri (10c Records - 10C001)Jennifer Perri won the Oceanic Cable Kiddieoke-Plus Contest in 1997 and has since co-hosted a local television variety show. The Mid-Pacific Institute 7th grader adds recording artist to her résumé with a two-song CD single.
"Seasons Of Love" and "Without You" are from "Rent," one of her favorite musicals. Both address the value of life and friendship. Perri does a fine job interpreting them.
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E-mail: angels@lava.net
"Hula Joe & The Hutjumpers"
Hula Joe & The Hutjumpers (Black & Tan Records - B&T 1010)Hula Joe & The Hutjumpers weren't the first local act to jump on the neo-swing craze but Hula Joe (aka Zanuck Kapala Lindsey) and the band take the concept beyond simply copying the sound and visual presentation of Cherry Poppin' Daddies and the Royal Crown Revue.
Many of the songs are catchy original neo-swing numbers with island themes. Others are hapa-haole classics redone with authentic big band arrangements. A couple are camped up in the tongue-in-cheek style that defines much of the national neo-swing scene but there's no question overall that the Hutjumpers -- featuring vocalists "Big Wave Dave" Townley and Gin Rummy (aka Ginai) -- take swing and Hawaii's local big band tradition seriously. "Last Kiss On Christmas," originally a 1996 cassette single by Lindsey and Ginai, closes the album on a soft romantic note.
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http://www.hutjumpers.com
Various artists (Tropical Jam Productions - TJP00272)If this anthology was actually a showcase the glass would be opaque. The producers include no information on who the artists are, the significance of the songs, or who wrote them. They thus give casual buyers no particular reason to buy.
The contents are a jumble. There are earnest but forgettable contemporary local pop songs, more substantial work by Pai'ea, Toma/Natto, and B.E.T., an uncredited reggae-style interpolation of "Take A Letter Maria" by Tropical Wine, and Kim Char Meredith's glorious "Ho Ala Hoe." The performers' friends and relatives probably have the original releases.
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See Record Reviews for some 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 Today
section on Fridays for the latest reviews.
