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"Ohta-san's Pacific Potpourri"

Ohta-san
(Lehua)

The world will have to wait a while longer for Herb "Ohta-san" Ohta to record with guitarist Nando Suan, but fans catching up to his back catalog will welcome this reissue. The recordings date from 1971 and capture the ukulele player relatively early in his career.

Ohta-san and a squad of sidemen explore an assortment of Hawaiian, Japanese and Chinese tunes. The arrangements reflect the pop stylings of the day, and some are less about Ohta-san than they could be, but overall, his virtuosity prevails.

The album's original liner notes also capture the tone of the era, but whoever authorized a reissue should have at the least added several paragraphs summarizing Ohta-san's accomplishments since 1971.

Lehua Records
P.O. Box 1207
Honolulu, HI 96813

Mpeg Audio Clips: "Happiness Forever" "Kawohikukapulani" "China Doll" Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info

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"Doweiti"

Kosrae
(LStar Productions)

World music fans with a taste for the mysterious, take note! The group Kosrae sings in a language unfamiliar to me, and individual members are not identified.

The artwork and the English lyrics of a song titled "Deep Blue Sea," suggest that they come from Micronesia. If so, this could be the start of a new cross-cultural style of local music here.

The anonymous singers harmonize nicely over tracks by studio guitarist Selwyn Valdez and keyboardist / arranger Lance Motogawa. While translations aren't included, the doleful song "Heal My Broken Heart" is the other song with English lyrics.

Motogawa gives the vocalists several rhythms to work with. However, with no information on Kosrae available on the CD cover to pique the curiosity of music store bin browsers, "Doweiti" will likely connect only with those who already know them.

Pacific Rim Records
1634 Nuuanu Avenue Suite 113
Honolulu, HI 96813

Mpeg Audio Clips: "Tunk & Asor" "Queen Lun Acn Kosrae" "Deep Blue Sea" Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info

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"Aloha"

Second Hand Soul
(Noes Productions)

"Third Hand Jawaiian" is the first impression of where this sextet is coming from style-wise. But guitarist / songwriter Al Mira-Fuentes moves beyond generic Jawaiian material with several of the 10 originals.

Mira-Fuentes' "3.9" may be the first Jawaiian song about extreme auto racing. If so, it is perfect for "island music" radio. He covers all the musical clichés of the genre with "Got To Know," but does so with such catchy rhythms, commercial style, and clean 'ukulele work that it has mainstream appeal. This band should already be getting play on local radio.

Drummer Todd Uyehara also writes. "All My Tears" is a softer reggae-lite lament about love gone wrong. "Everyday" shows SHS's local pop potential.

Joan Agbayani adds an appealing female voice in several places. She and the band reach their peak with 'in Cairo." It has the most complex lyrics and cosmopolitan perspective, and is, alas, credited to "author unknown," but Agbayani and the band do a fine job with it.

www.neosproductions.com

Mpeg Audio Clips: "I Got You" "Got To Know" "In Cairo" Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info