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Island Mele John Berger |
Strong female vocalists are rare on the local rock scene. This eight-song album by veteran band Missing Dave shows that Deana Dempsey is one of those rarities. Dempsey brings a powerful and commanding presence to MD's dark, rocking tales of bad relationships. "Missing Dave"
Missing Dave
Self-releaseGuitarists Keith Monzen and Misty Pang are adept songwriters who excel at lyrics that articulate feminine rage. In one song, an ex-lover is compared to road kill. Another expresses the desire to feed an ex broken glass. Monzen, Pang, Josie Cristobal (drums) and David Latarte (bass) give the group an aggressive attack, with occasional help from producer Sean Grime on keyboards and guitar.
The quality of the quintet's originals begs the question of why they included a humorless remake of "Material Girl." There's nothing new to it, and no explanation as to why they bothered.
www.missingdave.com
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"Holding On"
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Ka'ena is a Jawaiian quartet whose producers chose to reinforce with a drummer and percussionist. All four play ukulele, three play guitar and two play bass, so there was already enough here without the extras. With the addition of percussion, the result is reminiscent of Pure Heart's sound, but with more breadth to the stringed instruments, and a stronger, more soulful edge to the vocals. "Ka'ena"
Ka'ena
808e ProductionsThe eight originals show that the guys have a way with lyrics that is all too often lacking in Jawaiian music. The pleasant blend of bouncy rhythms, synth-free arrangements, crisp riffs and smooth harmonies make Ka'ena an act to watch.
An unimaginative pop remake of "Baby Baby," however, is the album's major debit. "He's the Only Reason," the other song they didn't write, is an earnest bit of Christian proselytizing, but the guys' evident sincerity makes the plodding lyrics a bit more palatable.
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John Iervolino's new anthology reaffirms the pervasive impact of Jamaican and African-American culture on the local music scene. It also displays the diversity of styles that have developed within Jawaiian music in recent years. The apex is heard in the innovative trans-Pacific music of multi-lingual artists Fiji and O-Shen. The creative nadir is reached in Believe's awkwardly written "Heaven Sent Love" and Native Blend's pointless rehash of "I'll Never Get Over You Getting Over Me." "Island Roots V.4"
Various artists
Quiet StormCrazy Fingers represents another extremely problematic aspect of local music practices by using uncredited interpolations of "Puff the Magic Dragon" and "Gilligan's Island" as building blocks in a song titled "Puff."
"Island Roots V.4" will be welcomed by those who don't like these acts enough to buy their albums, but are too honest to rip off the songs by burning them.
www.quietstorm.com
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See the Columnists section 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.
