Island Mele
Baba B. has proved himself a notable songwriter and recording artist with three consecutive albums since 1996. "Phat Is Back," his fourth, marks another step forward. Four originals show his growth as a writer of pop ballads and Jawaiian booty music, while he and his production team also bring fresh ideas to some of the remakes -- a rare feat in today's island music scene. "Phat is Back"
Baba B.
Rebel RR 22The sequencing of the songs heightens their impact. Baba opens with mellow ballads, then brings along the reggae-beat songs next and closes with an original ballad, "God Bless the U.S.A.," a heartfelt statement that, while antiwar, isn't anti-American. The ballads show Baba's romantic side before "Party Tonight" suggests that he still likes an occasional night out with the boys.
Baba's Jawaiian fans and island music radio will immediately go for "Honey" and "Party Tonight," and while they're both good songs, there's much more going on here on his new album.
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One More Time
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The Hawaiian language is the foundation of Hawaiian culture, and reviving Hawaiian as a living language is the mission of Punana Leo. This must-buy album grew out of the curriculum for teaching the demanding art of writing poetic Hawaiian and is now a perfect fund-raiser for the organization. That a song or two evokes comparisons with Teresa Bright and Owana Salazar is perhaps reason enough to recommend it, but singer/songwriter Kainani Kahaunaele and her guests (Manu Boyd and Kaipo Frias) explore other styles, as well. This makes for an excellent introduction to contemporary Hawaiian music. "Na'u 'Oe"
Kainani Kahaunaele
'Aha Punana Leo 99006Kahaunaele's originals honor family, the kupuna that help preserve Hawaiian culture and famous female surfers of old. Songs and chants by other writers extend the depth and breadth of her musical tapestry, and a thick booklet completes this perfect album with detailed annotation in both English and Hawaiian.
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Cheryl Lynn Kumie Koide is originally from Hawaii, but has been living on the mainland of late, and recorded this album of contemporary Christian music as "Cheryl Kumie" for release on a Japan-distributed label. That combination of circumstances should qualify her still as a "local recording artist," in the spirit of the definition being used these days by the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts, and "Waken The Dawn" is certainly worth claiming as our own. "Waken the Dawn"
Cheryl Kumie
Polydor UPCH-1179All the songs are originals. A couple fall short, in terms of basic principles of rhyme and meter, but Kumie and her primary studio partner, musician/co-producer John Basebase, always come up with serviceable arrangements. Kumie's voice, appealing in its own right, also helps make her songs more than earnest testaments of Christian faith set to "elevator music." With each song, she offers a glimpse of a soul redeemed.
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See Record Reviews for some past reviews.
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.
