Island Mele
Friday, June 1, 2001
Mana Kaleilani Caceres is another talented young artist with a debut album that's 100 percent remake-free. The obvious hit, "Couldn't Take the Mana," is a powerful indictment of everything that has alienated native Hawaiians from their 'aina since the overthrow of the legitimate government in 1893. It is also a great song with irresistible rhythms and a strong sing-along chorus. "Mana Kaleilani Caceres"
From Da Heart Productions (FDH2001)"mAinland mEntality" is also excellent. Caceres and producer Jason "Jaz" Yglesias present it twice in Jawaiian and rap-remix arrangements. The rap-remix merits national play. Caceres and Yglesias don't explain the unconventional spelling but there must be kaona (hidden meaning) there.
Caceres honors his roots with two nicely arranged Hawaiian-language songs and shows his romantic side with "Deeper."
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mAinland mEntality
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www.olindaroad.com
Cathy Foy has been more visible recently as an actress than as a recording artist. She was a hit last fall in "Kiss Me, Kate" at HPU and proved herself a multi-talented entertainer in Diamond Head Theatre's current production of "Victor/Victoria." This is the first recording in quite a while and a delightful calling card. "Cathy Foy with the
Cathy Foy
National Philharmonic Orchestra"
No label (CF2000)Foy does a beautiful job with nine American pop standards. "Eternally" is her theme song here, and she sings it with joyous emotion. "Two For the Road" is softer but just as sweet. "Too Beautiful to Last" and "Follow Me"/"I Am Hawaii" medley are two other highlights.
Album sales benefit HUGS, a local non-profit group that assists the families of critically ill children. Foy's glorious voice and the smooth orchestral arrangements make this worth buying for the music alone. It is available at Harry's Music and through HUGS.
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(Steve Crocker/HUGS): ucando262@yahoo.com
So-called "New Age" music -- the very name smacks of yuppie smugness -- is usually dismissed by fans of other genres as pretentious and vapid synthetic instrumental pap. "Isle of Sanctuary"
Claire Rivero
Home Baked Music (no serial number)Claire Rivero isn't likely to win over aging grunge fans but if her album is indeed "New Age," there's more to it than synth tracks. Anyone familiar with the way synthesizers are often used and abused by many local artists and producers will be pleasantly surprised by the tones and textures in Rivero's music. She used more than 20 pieces of hardware and music software in creating her soundtrack for a spiritual journey. The interplay between them makes this interesting listening.
The song titles describe events in a visit to the titular isle. Rivero leaves it up to the listener to imagine the details
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www.homebakedmusic.com
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.
