”;Aloha 'Anianiau”;

Leilani Rivera Bond
(Leilani)

Legal single-song downloads are clearly the future for “;record”; sales and already the medium of choice for many music buyers, but this Grammy Award-worthy album by Leilani Rivera Bond reminds us that the traditional CD “;album”; is still the best platform for Hawaiian music.

On the most basic level, this is a collection of songs that Bond has collected, recorded and then assembled in a particular order. In this case, she opens with a series of songs that relate in some way to her home island of Kauai and eventually closes with a bilingual version of a 1971 pop hit, “;You've Got A Friend,”; for reasons that she explains in the liner notes.

Getting past the basics, Rivera shows respect for her Hawaiian heritage by including the Hawaiian lyrics, English translations and additional information. How does a name chant honoring Kai'ulani, or a Tahitian song about a tern, relate to Kauai? The answers wouldn't be included with a download!

Packaging and cultural responsibilities aside, Bond and producer Michael Ruff have done a beautiful job with the end product—the music. The arrangements are uncluttered, Bond's voice is warm and melodic. She personalizes local standards—“;Koke'e”; and “;Beautiful Kauai,”; to name two—and introduces newer compositions that seem certain to appeal to Hawaiian-speakers.

Guests such as Holunape, Willie K, Zanuck Kapala Lindsey and Eric Gillom contribute other voices and instrumentation, but never intrusively. Mandolin and banjo, for example, add subtle grass-roots textures to “;Koke'e.”;

“;You've Got A Friend”; closes the album with a sample of Bond's cocktail lounge music repertoire. It, too, conveys a message of aloha with Garden Isle nuances.

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”;Aloha 'Anianiau'”;
”;Beautiful Kaua'i”;
”;You Ku'uipo”;

”;Groovin'”;

Maoli Music
(Pacific Island)

Singer/songwriter/guitarist Glenn Awong is the foundation of this Maui-based Jawaiian septet. Awong is the group's in-house composer and lead vocalist. Take note that the “;maoli”; (native) music they play pulls from the Afro-Caribbean culture of Jamaica rather than that of the kanaka maoli (native people) of Hawaii, but Awong understands what fits the format of Hawaii's self-styled “;island music”; radio stations.

His feel for radio-friendly rhythms is heard in “;Let's Have A Good Time,”; his insights as a romantic lyricist are evident with “;Somebody Cares”; and he deftly combines both elements in “;So Incredible.”;

Suggestions of broader musical horizons are found elsewhere. While the title track owes nothing to the Young Rascals' song, the guitar work is reminiscent of the Isley Brothers. 

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”;No One”;
”;Write Me A Letter”;
”;Groovin'”;

”;The Best of Paradise Ultimate Collection”;

Various artists
(Shaka)

While ever-growing numbers of music buyers are using downloads for single-song purchases, many others will buy an entire CD to get a song or two they've been looking for.

They're the market that Hoku Award-winning record producer George J.D. Chun is servicing here. This 15-song anthology consists of titles culled from a previous five-album “;Best of”; series. It includes several local hits (”;Honolulu City Lights”; by Keola and Kapono Beamer, first and foremost) and a hodgepodge of other stuff. People seeking out specific favorites can check the song list, check the price, do the math, and decide accordingly.

”;Sweet Lady of Waiahole”;
”;Weha Swing”;
”;He Ono La”;