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"Paka Ua (Raindrops)"

Ozzie Kotani
Daniel Ho Creations

Daniel Ho takes a significant step forward as a record producer with this beautiful album by Hawaiian slack-key guitar master Ozzie Kotani.

A number of Ho's earlier releases have been as much about promoting his record label's catalog as supporting the work of the featured artist, but this one is all about Kotani. The liner notes explain the significance of the songs, and mention some of the people and events that inspired Kotani to write beautiful melodies as well as play standards. No contemporary slack-key album is complete without a description of the tunings used on each song. Kotani and Ho provide that too.

Ho sits in on three songs but never intrudes on Kotani's instrumental wizardry. He and Kotani mesh beautifully on the title song as their playing suggests the drip-drop of island rain. Kotani pays tribute to Chet Atkins and Leonard Kwan with "Chet Atkins' 'Opihi Moemoe," and honors Peter Moon with "He Hawai'i Au." On "The Londonderry Air (Danny Boy)," Kotani skillfully takes ki ho'alu beyond Hawaiian and hapa-haole music and into the American mainstream.

www.danielho.com

Mpeg Audio Clips: "Ia 'oe e Ka La e Alohi Nei" "Paka Ua" "Chet Akins' Opihi Moemoe" Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info

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"Hymns of Hawai'i, Volume 2"

George Kahumoku Jr. & Daniel Ho
Daniel Ho Creations

Kahumoku and Ho won a Hoku Award in 2000 for "Hymns of Hawaii." This is a perfect sequel. Kahumoku accompanies himself on slack key while singing 11 of his favorite Hawaiian hymns. Ho provides unobtrusive support on his new KoAloha D-VI ukulele. Count this as a front-runner for a Hoku in 2006 but don't wait until then to buy it.

Most of these hymns have been Hawaiian favorites for generations. Eight represent the legacy of Lorenzo Lyons in translating Christian music into the Hawaiian language during the mid-19th century -- "Kei Ka Hoa O Iesu La (What a Friend We Have in Jesus)" and "Nani Ke Li'i Ki'eki'e (Glory to God in the Highest)," to name two.

Kahumoku sings them with all with the natural nahenahe (sweet, melodious) style of traditional grass-roots Hawaiian music.

Kahumoku completes this beautiful album with concise stories about the history of the songs and how they relate to members of his ohana. Sharing family history provides deeper insights into his reasons for recording these songs.

www.danielho.com

Mpeg Audio Clips: "Nani Ke Li'i Ki'eki'e" "Ke Akua Mana E" "Ua Mau / Hosana" Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info

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"From My Heart"

Hawai'i Loa
Mega Productions

Bobby Kahihikolo, Herb Lee Jr. and Eddie Palama cut no corners in recording and producing this album as an appealing souvenir for visitors who enjoy the trio's music in Waikiki.

The disc not only includes song lyrics and translations, but explains the meanings of widely used Hawaiian words as well. Steel guitarist Palama could be the hook that snags local interest and gets the trio play on "Hawaiian radio." Palama's instrumental showcase numbers -- "Sand" and "Mapuana" -- are the highlights overall, although the trio also does well with "Wai'alae" and "Blue Hawaiian Moonlight."

The originals are another matter. "Momi" is a clever but long number about two people who can't stop eating, but "Ka'iulani" is an earnest but awkwardly written dirge in which the words "charm" and "calm" don't come close enough to rhyming. The intent is admirable but the execution is weak.

The lyrics of "The Pali View" and "Promise Me Again" also need polishing. "Sushi in Hawaii" adds an odd expository list of sushi ingredients to the collection. What were they thinking with that one?

www.islandheritage.com

Mpeg Audio Clips: "Sand" "Pua Hone" "Sushi In Hawaii" Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info