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THE popularity of compilations by several artists on a single album is seen with this year's new Christmas releases. Three of seven new titles are compilations and each is targeted to a distinct audience - one is slack-key, one local reggae, and one local pop.
Hawaiian-style holiday
music targets lovers of
slack key, reggae, pop
By John Berger
Special to the Star-BulletinThe other four also offer variety. Teresa Bright's beautiful album is a career-best for her and one of the most impressive local Christmas albums in recent years. Michael Paulo's "Sax for Christmas" is not only romantic but is also noteworthy for containing an acoustic duet with his father, pianist Rene Paulo Sr.
The men of Ho'okena reaffirm their commitment to traditional Hawaiian music while exploring other genres. Curiosity seekers can sample "Merry Christmas," the latest cross-cultural experiment by China-born erhu player Benjamin Sun.This year's crop of new local Christmas album has something new for just about anyone.
"A Christmas Season's Delight With Teresa Bright" by Teresa Bright (Row's World tb2002)
Bright's delightful voice is complimented by the work of some of Hawaii's major studio talents under the direction of Kit Ebersbach. "What Child is This" and "It's That Time of the Year" are instant stand-outs but each melody and every lyric is beautifully interpreted. Bright evokes memories of Sergio Mendes & Brazil '66 with several numbers but she and Ebersbach offer fresh perspectives throughout.
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Row's World - P.O. Box 813 - Kaneohe, HI 96744 The primary sound overall is light local pop but a breezy number by Acoustic Soul and two standards by the Honolulu Boy Choir add other genres. The one major clunker finds Freshly Squeezed obliterating every scintilla of subtlety and lyric nuance in Eartha Kitt's classic "Santa Baby." This group is like Forte in having promise, but the punchy Jawaiian/rap-lite arrangement is the musical equivalent of getting a lump of coal as a stocking stuffer.
MP3 Audio Clips:
Glenn Medeiros
DisGuyz
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http://www.afterthoughtmusic.com
Slack-key fans need look no further. This latest album by producer George Winston is another gem. Most of Hawaii's living ki ho'alu masters are participating in Winston's epic Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Masters Series and almost all contributed to the series' second Christmas album. Also present are two guitarists Winston evidently feels deserve more recognition: Cindy Combs and Joanie Komatsu.
Dancing Cat has long set the standard when it comes to detailed annotation and this album is therefore a perfect introduction to slack key. The selections range from Hawaiian standards to Top 40 pop chart classics. The differences in the artists' approach are equally diverse.
MP3 Audio Clips:
Ozzie Kotani
Keola Beamer
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http://www.dancingcat.com
Ho'okena reaffirms its commitment to traditional Hawaiian music with a beautiful collection of island standards while also stepping outside the genre. Few Hawaiian traditionalists sound natural when trying to play mainstream rock but Ho'okena does well with "Rock 'n Roll Christmas." The juxtaposition of familiar Ho'okena harmonies with heavier rhythms works well.Ho'okena has been recording more English-language music in recent years and aims for the mainstream market with English songs here. The notable exception is a Hawaiian version of "The Little Drummer Boy" in an arrangement that restores freshness and substance to the standard. Ho'okena is rightly known for its solid vocal arrangements but the group's work on this song stands out even in a collection of smooth harmonies.
Synthetic string sections mar otherwise excellent work elsewhere. A clean arrangement of "It Came Up A Midnight Clear," in which the voices are supported by piano and a hint of acoustic bass shows that Ho'okena needs no synthetics to create a perfect take on a Christmas classic. "Mele Kalikimaka ia Kakou" reaffirms that fact as Ho'okena gets back to its traditional sound harmonizing in Hawaiian over a crisp and brisk acoustic arrangement.
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http://www.hookena.com
Two songs by self-effacing Norm Thompson are the surprise cuts here as Neos Productions principal Bob St. John joins the Christmas music sales race with this compilation. Thompson - usually billed simply as Norm - pulls off one of the most remarkable local remakes in recent memory with "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)."No local pop, Jawaiian, or local reggae artist could hope to approach the passion and intensity Phil Spector and Darlene Love delivered on the original 1963 recording so Norm and his producers wisely didn't even try to recreate Jack "Specs" Nitzsche's original arrangement. A minimalist generic Jawaiian sound leaves Norm to do whatever he can with the song and although the arrangement is nothing special, Norm gives a touching performance despite some gratuitous localizing of the lyrics.
Norm's "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and Annette Oasay's "Joy to the World" are also solid numbers but a Jawaiian version of "Numbah One Day of Christmas" with different lyrics by Norm, Tony Solis, Justin and the Ka'ala Boys will likely be the hit on Hawaii's "island music" radio stations.
The "irie" concept is eventually dropped to make room for artists doing local pop and urban-lite material. However, Justin's a capella take on "The First Noel" is good enough that dumping the "irie" theme proves a good idea.
MP3 Audio Clips:
Annette Oasay
Norm
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http://www.neosproductions.com Sun has an interesting idea that should inspire other musicians here to consider exploring the sonic possibilities of unfamiliar string instruments. Sun's work on these tunes is likewise interesting despite the fact that some of the backing arrangements sound more like karaoke tracks than the work of studio musicians. Adding other traditional Chinese instruments to the mix would also give Sun's cross-cultural concept a more distinct texture but curiosity seekers will likely enjoy this as is.
MP3 Audio Clips:
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Michael Paulo is not only celebrating Christmas in romantic style with his sixth album but telling a story as well.The story is defined in the arrangements and the order of each selection as Paulo opens with a busy synth-based jazz-fusion treatment of "The First Noel," and ends by playing "White Christmas" as an acoustic duet with his father, world-class pianist Rene Paulo Sr.
With that progression, Michael Paulo suggests the experience of working as a mainland-based jazz artist and then returning home to Hawaii for Christmas. The musical journey is interesting. Paulo offers fresh visions of familiar melodies while incorporates diverse musical textures.
A moody R&B-nuanced "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is a great discovery along the way, but the interplay between sax and piano makes "What Child Is This (Greensleeves)" especially noteworthy.
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http://www.noteworthyrecords.com
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