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Island Mele
Christmas tunes
to stuff stockingsEvery year it seems a few local artists wait until the last minute to put out Christmas releases. Here are 1999's last-minute arrivals for consideration by last-minute shoppers:A Christmas Promise: Jeff Rasmussen & Kenneth Makuakane (Puna: PUNA 2000)
TWO record producers pool their talents for Christmas as Jeff Rasmussen is featured on this album of 10 new Christmas songs by Kenneth Makuakane. Makuakane addresses the topic with songs ranging from synth-pop ballads to backyard slack-key and catchy Caribbean rhythms. "An Island Christmas" is an expository secular vignette but does convey Makuakane's public commitment to Christ.
Rasmussen's rendition of the title track as a heartfelt love song makes it the most likely to survive as a mainstream commercial favorite here in years to come.
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THE European tradition of choral singing has been part of local culture for more than 150 years. The Hawai'i Vocal Arts Ensemble perpetuates it beautifully with 15 seasonal favorites celebrating the birth of Christ.
The songs come from American, English, French and German cultures. The title track -- sung once in Hawaiian, once in English -- reflects Hawaii's Christian traditions. The beauty of this music transcends language barriers and religious issues.
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EACH song in a medley is another composers' royalty to pay but record producers Lloyd and Nalani Longakit chose artistry over costs on their kids' Christmas project. Pomai & Loeka close this four-song CD with a peppy synth-pop medley of "Merry Christmas, Baby," "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree," "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town."
Lloyd Longakit and Randy Sugita show their usual competence in assembling the electronic music tracks behind the duo. Lloyd's calypso-beat original, "It's Christmas Time In Hawaii," proclaims the family creed that "Jesus is the reason for the season."
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Email: loeka@gte.net
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.
