‘Slack Key’ sales soar

A Grammy Award does make a difference.

"Slack Key Guitar Volume 2," the Grammy Award winner in the first Best Hawaiian Music Album category, hit No. 1 on Billboard's World Music chart and No. 2 in the New Age category.

The album, which features guitarists Randy Lorenzo, Bryan Kessler, Jeff Peterson, Keoki Kahumoku, Sonny Lim, Charles Michael Brotman, John Cruz, John Keawe, Charlie Recaido and Ken Emerson and was produced by Big Island resident Brotman, replaced last week's World Music leader "The Soweto Gospel Choir, Voices from Heaven," which fell to No. 2.

Keali'i Reichel, a Grammy nominee for his CD "Ke'alaokamaile," climbed from No. 12 to seven after 42 weeks on the World chart.

"Slack Key Guitar Volume 2" spent four weeks on the New Age music chart, reaching No. 5 last week and two this week.

The Grammy Awards were held in Los Angeles Feb. 13.