Island Mele
POSTED: Friday, October 10, 2008
”;Kohala Christmas”;
Kohala
(Palm)
The “;Christmas season”; seems to start earlier with each passing year. And considering the high level of stress and horrendous shopping-mall gridlock that are part of “;the holidays,”; getting an early start—on the shopping, if not on the partying—can make sense. Grammy Award-winning record producer Charles Michael Brotman has done his part in that department with the release this week of Hawaii's first Christmas album of 2008, “;Kohala Christmas.”;
The album is the second this year by the current lineup: founding members Brotman and Charlie Recaido plus Rupert Tripp Jr. “;Kohala Live,”; recorded late last year at the rRed Elephant and released this summer, was an assortment of originals and local standards. “;Christmas,”; recorded at their home base, Lava Tracks Recording Studio in Kamuela, follows a similar format as the trio presents acoustic arrangements of contemporary Christmas pop, traditional Christian favorites and an original, “;Waimea Christmas Bells.”;
Brotman and his partners excel at playing beautiful, unobtrusive instrumental music. They do that here, and the result is an album that will be a perfect choice as background music for Christmas dinner or quiet holiday parties. Kohala is more than muzak, however—the interplay between the three guitars deserves attentive listening, and the trio succeeds in making even familiar seasonal melodies interesting. Far too many local Christmas albums in recent years have sounded like they were thrown together for quick sale with a minimal amount of imagination. Brotman and his group do quality work, as both musicians and arrangers, from start to finish.
“;Kohala Christmas”; is a must-buy for fans of their previous work and is a good introduction to the group for anyone not already familiar with them. It will also be a welcome antidote to holiday stress later this year.
“What Child Is This”
“Home For The Holidays”
“The Christmas Song”
”;Moonshine”;
Justice Moon
(Dis-N-Dat Music)
An earlier album by local hip-hopper Justice Moon caused quite a stir in the local legal community. Who knew that the chief justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court—Chief Justice Ronald T.Y. Moon, “;CJ”; to his friends—was also a recording artist? There was, of course, no connection between the esteemed jurist and the young recording artist. So with that out of the way, there should be no confusion this time about which “;Justice Moon”; is profiled here.
Three years after his five-song “;50 City”; project, Moon is back with a full-length, 14-song album produced with support from local hip-hop veteran Kutmaster Spaz. Spaz's support is well-deserved—Moon shines as both a performer and an imaginative writer. On one track, he recalls his struggle for success in a tough and highly competitive profession. Another, “;Cutie Pie,”; evokes memories of One Way's funk hit from the early 1980s. On several, he makes noteworthy contributions to the developing genre of hapa haole/hip hop.
As with his previous projects, Moon's style and delivery is reminiscent of LL Cool J. Meanwhile, Peni Pua'auli of Natural Vibes adds a commercial Jawaiian edge to the opening track, B.E.T. takes center stage after that and Spaz wraps things up with a couple of remixes.
As for Moon, amid the glow of his high-powered guests, he shines in his best work to date.
