Island Mele
Guitarist Dwight Kanae teams up with musician/studio engineer Hutchi Boy-E on this ambitious project that showcases his work as a musician, composer, poet and graphic artist. (Kanae did most of the album art and played most of the instruments; Hutchi Boy-E helped with the art and added keyboards to the arrangements). "Haiku"
Dwight Kanae
SkrapYardMost of the songs feature Kanae on acoustic guitar. "As Tears Go By" and "On A Little Street In Singapore" are nicely reworked as soft acoustic pop. Hutchi Boy-E's electronic add-ons give one of Kanae's originals a soothing "new age" feel.
Kanae experiments a bit with a "Walk Don't Run/Wipeout" medley. The first song is OK as semi-acoustic rock, but the latter is more about studio drummer Stacy Tangonan than Kanae redoing the famous guitar licks acoustically.
Write: Aloha Music International, 269 Pali'i St., Mililani, HI 96789
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Haiku Garden
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Tahiti residents Carole and Florent Atem introduced themselves to Hawaii in 1996 with "Southern Cross," a collection of original instrumentals ranging from romantic pop to hard rock. It was one of the most impressive local but non-Hawaiian albums of the year -- and, of course, there was no room for it on island music-formatted radio stations! "Favorites"
Carole & Florent Atem
Neos ProductionsOn this latest album, the brother-and-sister duo not only play almost all the instruments, but sing as well -- and all the songs are pop and rock remakes.
The most interesting arrangements either feature Carole on songs originally sung by men or showcase Florent on guitar. A basic remake of "More Than Words" is perfect for local radio. A cover of Joe Satriani's "Surfing With the Alien" shows that Florent still likes to shred.
www.cfatem.com
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Chant is the foundation upon which all later forms of Hawaiian vocal performance is based. This album (the title is translated as "From The Elders") is intended as an introduction to chant as the foundation of hula as well. Kumu hula Day presents 21 "hula-ready" chants accompanied with either pahu (drum) or ipu heke (gourd shakers). Three of his students add the formal calls that announce the beginning and end of a chart and mark the start of each verse. "Mai Na Kupuna Mai"
Pekelo Day
Ululoa ProductionsMost of the chants are either traditional prayer chants to Laka or narratives recounting the epic journeys of Pele and Hi'iaka; one tells of a sexual encounter between Pele and Kamapua'a at Halema'uma'u. Others of more recent vintage honor Kamehameha, Kalakaua and Lili'uokalani.
Day and co-producer Laurie Rohrer complete this excellent album with a booklet that includes the lyrics and English translations. Listeners can appreciate the poetry and follow Day, word-for-word, with each selection.
www.ululoa.com
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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. Contact John Berger at jberger@starbulletin.com.
