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Island Mele
Friday, April 14, 2000
‘Legends’ preserves
falsetto greatsLegends Of Falsetto:
By various artists, (HanaOla HOCD 35000)MICHAEL Cord and Harry B. Soria Jr. set the standard when it comes to rereleases of classic Territorial Era recordings. This anthology is another gem in the series and a perfect introduction to Hawaiian falsetto. The audio restoration is superb for recordings of this vintage. Soria's detailed liner notes provide an overview of the history of falsetto as well as biographies of the artists.
Bill Ali'iloa Lincoln, George Kainapau, Benny Kalama, Genoa Keawe and Lena Machado are among the 22 artists included. Some of the other artists may be less familiar to modern audiences but all are well worth hearing.
Mpeg Audio Clips:
Quicktime | MPEG-3 info
http://www.cordinternational.com
By Blue Makaha, (Blue Makaha BMCD5001)BLUE Makaha is Mel Pu'u and Hoku Award-winning composer Steve Mai'i. "Lana'i" is one of the five songs Mai'i brought to the project. It finds him favoring exposition over convention rhyme but that actually adds to the lyric appeal; the HVCB should be utilizing the song as a campaign theme. "Hawaiian Man" is an expository but heartfelt Hawaiian pop ode to his father. "Palolo I Ka Uhiwai" reaffirms his respect for his heritage.
Caribbean rhythms stand out elsewhere. Mai'i and Pu'u start off strong and commercial with "Too Hot On The Beach," a non-original that uses a hard reggae beat and Rastafari perspectives in rejecting conventional church going.
Straight versions of "Children Play" and "Bring Me Your Cup" add the pop chart remakes necessary for play these days on "island music" radio stations.
Mpeg Audio Clips:
Quicktime | MPEG-3 info
http://www.bluemakaha.com
By Kuila (FobStyle Productions FPCD002)THIS is the second in a series of albums of traditional Tongan music. People who speak Tongan and are familiar with the culture will surely enjoy it. All others will find Kulia's blend of smooth harmonizing and acoustic string instruments relaxing but inscrutable.
What's needed is information on the significance and meaning of the songs, and how Tongans have adapted non-Tongan music since 1773. With proper annotation this would have been a fine introduction to Tongan music.
Mpeg Audio Clips:
Quicktime | MPEG-3 info
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.
