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Island Mele John Berger |
"Stacie"
Stacie Taniguchi
Ear CandyStacie Taniguchi is the singer and Branden Caires the primary songwriter on this eponymous pop project. Roy Hamada, who worked with Stacie on her five-song "One World: United We Sing" project last year, again provides most of the instrumentation, but where most of last year's songs were poppy, karaoke-style ballads, he and Caires are testing her with stronger rhythms.
The most immediately engaging song, "Blowin' Kisses," captures the ear with a smooth blend of vocal, romantic lyrics and a simple, adequate arrangement. There's a vibe here reminiscent of "We're in This Love Together" and some of Natalie Cole's early pop hits.
Jawaiian and dance-mix rhythms predominate elsewhere. "That Feelin'," an ode to local boys, is Taniguchi's most soulful effort. Several pop-lite ballads add diversity.
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Why Do I
"On Dragonfly Wings -- Original
Soundtrack Recording"Various artists
'Ohi'a ProductionsLisa Matsumoto's 'Ohi'a Productions ohana performs Tuesdays at the Honolulu Zoo, but musical souvenirs from previous shows are available in record stores. This one commemorates Matsumoto's ambitious 2001 production, her first big show written in standard English instead of pidgin. It's a beautiful memento, although calling it an "original soundtrack recording" is disingenuous since several members of the original cast (most notably Janel Parrish) aren't on it.
But it's a great addition to the 'Ohi'a discography, and a fine companion to Matsumoto's previously published version, "Wailana the Waterbug." While older listeners will notice the thinness of the synthesized musical arrangements, kids too young to care about such things will enjoy the music. (Another production of the play opens at the Hawaii Theatre on July 25.)
www.ohia.com
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"Kurt Kipapa"
Kurt Kipapa
Hobo House On The HillKipapa introduces himself as a promising solo artist with major musical support from Roni "H-Diggler" Yurong's Hobo House crew. Yurong and Ronnie Esteban did the arrangements, and Esteban did almost all of the instrumentation. Kipapa opens strong with an uptempo salute to canoe racing, then explores other musical genres.
"Na Mele No E Kaho'olawe" and "He Aloha No Ke Kaikamahine" are two of the best demonstrations of his vocal appeal (unfortunately, English translations aren't provided). Adding a Hawaiian chant to a remake of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" helps personalize Kipapa's version.
While Kipapa is a prolific writer, he generally ignores the basic principles of rhythm, rhyme and meter. Such earnest efforts will probably appeal only to the composer's ohana, but his reggae-beat "No Never" has a bit more polish and merits local radio play.
www.hobohouseonthehill.com
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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.
