Buffing up the classics
POSTED: Friday, February 05, 2010
'Ku'uipo, E Hula Mai Me A'u'
Ku'uipo Kumukahi
(Ward)
Ku'uipo Kumukahi has an impressive record of Na Hoku Hanohano Award wins as a member of two groups—Ke'alohi and Ku'uipo Kumukahi & the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame Serenaders—as well as for her work as a solo artist. This album, recorded by a Japanese record label for international release, could easily earn another Hoku for her collection. It is available for sale in Hawaii and priced as a domestic product (liner notes and production credits are provided in English as well as Japanese).
Japanese music fans must have a thing about hearing their favorite Hawaiian artists do remakes of pop hits. Kumukahi writes that she rarely sings in English and that the few English songs in her repertoire are hapa-haole songs “;associated with Hawaii.”; With that in mind, give her credit for rising to the challenge with a hapa-haole arrangement of Mama Cass Elliot's signature, “;Dream a Little Dream of Me,”; and also for credible versions of “;Richer Than I,”; “;When I Fall in Love”; and “;Unforgettable.”;
Kumukahi's renditions of the Hawaiian selections—“;Ahi Wela,”; for example—are beautiful, as always.
”;Ku'u Sweetie”;
”;Dream A Little Dream Of Me”;
”;Happy Am I”;
'Blue Room'
Siaosi
(no label)
There was a time back in the late '50s and early '60s when there seemed to be an unlimited supply of Top 40 teen idols. The “;English Invasion”; of 1964 introduced Americans to a similar wealth of British guitar bands, and more recently manufactured boy bands and girl groups have also appeared in seemingly inexhaustible numbers.
This album by mono-monickered Siaosi serves notice that there is also no apparent shortage of talented men coming out of various Pacific island cultures who sing a soulful blend of reggae and African-American music. With George “;Fiji”; Veikoso and Laga Savea as his mentors and guest vocalists, Siaosi is off to a solid start as a star in his own right after years of backing other artists. So solid, in fact, that there could easily be a Hoku Award in his future.
Anyone familiar with the work his producers have done for other young artists will embrace Siaosi—and quite possibly recognize his voice from other projects. Blend reggae rhythms and urban harmonies? Check! Guest vocals by the producers? Check! Siaosi does the rest.
He steps forward as a composer with “;Celebrity Status,”; a cool and cutting dismissal of materialistic women with “;stinky attitudes.”; It seems girlie wouldn't give Siaosi the time of day until she discovered he was the star of the show!
Several other compositions underscore his strength as a vocalist and talent as a writer.
Siaosi shares the pain of family tragedy with heartfelt requiem for his sister, and pays homage to his cultural heritage with selections in an unidentified Oceanic language; providing translations for the latter would share their meaning with mainstream listeners.
'The Best of the Typical Hawaiians: Good Times Galore'
Typical Hawaiians
(TH Productions)
“;Typical Jawaiians”; would be a better name if based solely on the basic format of the music, but with a Hoku Award on their resume—their debut album, “;In a Positive Vibrations,”; was voted Reggae Album of the Year in 2000—the group is more than “;typical”; of the dozens of local recording artists who play some form of reggae-influenced music.
The Hoku-winning group had changed record labels by the time they recorded their next album, “;Keep It Together,”; but Thompson P. Enos, Taz Vegas and Bruce Zuleta amped up their game in the interim. All the songs were originals, and the trio's lyric tales of chasing women and playing music were Hoku-worthy even though another group copped the award.
None of that history is found in this retrospective—not even the names of the previous albums! The members of the quintet pictured in the album art aren't identified, either, although Enos is evidently the foundation of the group and Vegas still a part of it. Oh well!
Whoever the other members of the group might be, fans of kanakafarian music won't be disappointed. Jamin “;Chief Ragga”; Wong, a guest on the first two albums, is heard on the opening number, “;Crazy,”; and gets a composer's credit on another. O-Shen is heard on a song he recorded with them for the 2002 project.
“;Killer Surf Session”; brings the music home with a bright and cheery celebration of good living, island style. Reggae-style songs have yet to be accepted as contemporary hapa-haole music, but with enough time this one should be.
