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Island Mele

Friday, November 3, 2000

By John Berger

96744 debuts with
fine reggae tunes

Livin' Country: By 96744 (Moon Surfer Productions MS-9008)

A Jawaiian remake of the Everly Brothers' "All I Have To Do Is Dream" is potboiler stuff but windward Oahu's 96744 makes a promising debut with direction by veteran producer Gordon Broad. Broad added keyboards, percussion and drums to the quartet's bass, 'ukulele and guitars, and included several originals along with the routine Jawaiian remakes and a Hawaiian standard.

"All Alone," a moody reggae-beat lament by 96744's Makena Kulolia, easily merits play on Hawaii's island music radio stations. Many songs have been written recently extolling the "local" lifestyle of surfing, hanging out and partying, and bassist Henry Leoiki adds another to the genre with the album's expository title song.

MP3 Audio Clips: All I Have To Do Is Dream Livin' Country All Alone Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info

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Summer Song: By Two in Time (Maunawili Music Productions)

KATY Furuya and Nate Hatico debuted on Ron Jacobs' "Homegrown '97" anthology. A new version of their winning song, "Maunawili Lullaby," is among the highlights on this self-produced album but several others also stand out. All are Hatico originals.

A track or two sounds like demo work but Furuya's voice is always appealing. She sings with a sweetness reminiscent of Gail Mack of George Street and Judi Yogi Kodama; the title song grew out of one Hatico wrote for George Street. "Chicken Skin" and "Love Comes, Love Goes," successfully explore styles beyond local pop.

Email: twointime@earthlink.net

MP3 Audio Clips: Malia Maunawili Lullaby Love Comes, Love Goes Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info

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Now: By Ka'ala Boys (Neos Productions ww7014)

Ka'ala Boys' second album is full of formula reggae riffs, jejune Jawaiian remakes, pseudo Jamaican accents, and so many guest artists that the Boys sometimes get lost in the mix. In short, "Now" has everything local "kananafarians" go ape over!

It also has smooth pop vocal work and commercial originals like Rodney Bejer's catchy and risque "Reggae Marching" and the well-crafted lyric vignettes of Keoki Van Blyenburg. A beautiful remake of "Marie" eschews the tinny synthesizers used elsewhere and hints that Ka'ala Boys may be pop balladeers at heart.

http://www.windwavehawaii.com

MP3 Audio Clips: Reggae Marching Easy Feeling Don't Wanna Walk Away Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info

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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.