The Run-Off Groove #227
Welcome to The Run-Off Groove #227. I am John Book, Hau’oli Makahiki Hou (Happy New Year) to all, this is the first column of 2009.
Also, each review features links to the artist’s home page or MySpace page, so if you want to hear them, you can do so easily. Links are also provided to make a vinyl, CD, or digital purchase, since your local mall probably doesn’t have most of these titles. If you would like to buy the compact disc, click the icon that looks like this:
If you wish to make a digital MP3 purchase, you can click the digital player icon that looks like this:
If a particular release does come out on vinyl, I of course will make a vinyl icon.
Now, the column.
Hendrik Meurkens is a master of the jazz harmonica and vibes, and for Samba To Go! (Zoho) he executes his mission by bringing along Adriano Santos (drums), Gustavo Amarante (bass), Rodrigo Ursaia (saxophones and flutes), Misha Tsiganov (piano), Luiz Simas (piano), and Zé Maurício (percussion) along for the ride
The Latin jazz explored here is laid back but not smooth jazz, although if we are to get specific about genres, it would definitely gain some airplay there. “Odessa In April” could be a day on the beach, but Tsiganov’s Fender Rhodes work somehow brings it back into the city, on the streets, to perhaps show the pulse of the city vs. the pulse of relaxation. Meurkens’ harmonica work sounds like someone speaking to you, where you know what he’s talking about without hearing actual words. The crew deliver in so many fancy ways with “Só Tinha De Ser Come Vocé”, with Meurkens moving to the vibes and creating an aura that is inviting and delightful at the same time, all of this beautifully captured by Michael Brorby, who is able to make everything sound like it was recorded in Brazil and not New York City, although NYC’s influence is very much a part of this too.
Samba To Go! sounds like an album that will be eligible for classic status someday, because it feels that way now but I don’t want to rush into saying that just yet. Eh, I did it anyway.
Hip-hop tends to love a good character, but what listeners want (or at least what I look and listen for) is someone who isn’t just a character, but someone who has the charisma along with great flows and the knowledge that it’s still fun for them. May I introduce to you Cashus C.R.E.A.M.. Gametime is a full length CD that isn’t a proper album, but a mix CD-type situation and what you get to hear is a random assortment of tracks showing what Cashus is known for. He knows how to rock tentative club joints, as he does in “Let Her Do It” but take a serious listen to the lyrics and this isn’t just someone who chants a line 32 times in a row, followed by a verse that features 8 words. He knows how to make addictive tracks that the ladies will love and guys will nod knowing that this guy is the next shit.
Now, I’m not saying he’s groundbreaking because you do hear hints of other artists in what he does, but something tells me this guy is using skills and finesse to make an impact on hip-hop. Combine pre-bling Common with Ludacris and maybe a pinch of Juelz Santana and you have a slight hint of the capabilities of Cashus, who jokes about looking for a woman who needs to cook and clean in “Hold It Down” before dishing out dope funk with the hot “Hollywood”, which is a little over a minute before it fades. We want a full length song, dammit! “Bedroom” may be a song aimed for R&B audiences and at first it may come off as a sexist song where a woman’s place is in the bedroom, but he explains that there are women who act just like that, and while the sex can be fun, that’s not what he’s looking for. In fact, “I Appreciate” starts out with a few reference foodies will enjoy, and then he gets serious in a love song that will make L.L. Cool J say “now damn, that’s is nice, nah’mean?”
I can see Cashus taking on the image and demands of today’s hip-hop, but there is an old school asthetic that is there but may not be obvious, but one that shows there is a hint of integrity in what he does, at least for now. If people are wondering what hip-hop will be like in the 10′s, I think it’s going to be in a good place once Cashus moves on with his musical mission. He will become an MC producers will be waiting in line to work with.
(free download)
I’ve been a fan of The Angel for awhile, introduced to her through articles in URB, buying her work released under her own name, becoming familiar with some tracks on various compilations, checking out the productions she did with Monday Michiru, and perhaps because I wasn’t reading those magazines anymore, I thought she disappeared. Then I realized there’s no excuse in the digital age, because anyone can find anything about anyone, anywhere, anytime. It was then I found out that The Angel did the score for a UK film called KiDULTHOOD, and anyone who has ever enjoyed her long, drawn out excursions into electronica and dub will enjoy hearing it in small but equally powerful doses.
Not having seen the film, I can’t tell you how these songs apply to the various scenes, but anyone who loves digging through thrift stores and yard sales looking for obscure soundtracks, hunting down incredible incidental music will love The Angel’s approach to it, especially when moments in the song that could be enhanced are halted before she moves on to the next chapter. This is a digital-only release, with no CD or vinyl counterparts, but those who have been moved by the deepness of Angel’s music and production will have to hear this and be happy in knowing she has never stopped making sounds that are truly the sounds of modern life.
It was about a year ago that I reviewed In Absentia by M., calling it psychotic electronic-based rock along the lines of nine inch nails or Ministry. For his new album, M. is creating more direct rock’n'roll with pop and of course Latin influences, and for this effort every song was written and recorded in Spanish.
If you heard In Absentia, you heard a slightly edgier side of his music that is arguably not mainstream, unless your mom is a fan of “March Of The Pigs” and “Closer To God”. This is quite accessible and with a push it is sure to get him some airplay and perhaps into places that otherwise would have ignored him last year. “Bandito”, “Hipocresia”, and “Lupe Lupe Lupe” are the kind of songs you want to take on as your own and pass on to your children, as they are stories not only meant to be heard, but to be exchanged from generation to generation since they are so good. It is M. going back to his roots and simplying his approach, and I like it quite a lot. I do hope he continues exploring all sides of his muse, but if not, he has found a comfortable home here.
It’s great to hear Butta Verses back in the game again, and anyone who thinks he pretty much ran out of ideas obviously isn’t listening, and they will probably miss out on the greatness that is Reality BV (Domination).
While not a true concept album, there is a running theme that plays with the idea of our lives being reduced to reality TV and our tales and stories are mere fodder to where we can turn the channel and find something new and even more exciting. Or at least that’s a loose theme, but what you’ll here is tight ass rhymes that will please fans of M.O.P., Gang Starr, Lord Finesse, and Black Thought. Butta definitely has the verses that will make you want to hear tracks like “Rock Mics” (with a B.T. Express-sounding sample that will bring some back to the days of The Cactus Al/bum), “Cassanova Brown”, abd “INTL” over and over, the delivery is always there, the flows are flavorful, and when he says his shit is fire, he means it: In fact, if will.i.am made love to Adam Yauch while placing his cells in Ad Rock and extracted the cleverness of Fat Lip, you would get the hip-hop dope kid that is Butta Verses. Songs that may sound typical during the intro is turned inside out with Butta’s words and attitude, there’s a swagger in his style that is nice to hear but one that is still down to Earth. This is the album that will make people believe in the ways of the B.V., and reaffirm it for older fans who know and expect the goods from one of their favorite MC’s Pass in peace.
Tru-Paz are a group that are very much into combining different styles under the umbrella of hip-hop, as they freely combine reggae and soul without sacrificing any part of their music. The Young Nation (URBNet) is an EP featurinng three brand new songs from the group. The title track is a a message to the youth to take the future into their hands and not give up the fight, even though the powers that be make you feel forced to give up. Akim talks about those who come from island nations to push product to the man with money, and to those who live in the cities who have to make ends meet, a simple statement to live above the stress even when it feels things are going over the rim. This could easily become the anthem of 2009.
“Less We Forgot” condemn our politcians whose only role seems to look down at the people that they are supposed to represent, while “Everyday Goes By” encourages everyone to stick together even when families, friendships, and economics fall apart. Everyone is involved in metaphorical gunplay, and Tru-Paz seem to be long awaited messengers who are hear to be heard and spread their message around the world, they are more about being of the people than to be for, and they definitely know how to mix up the best elements of reggae and rap music without forcing themselves to fit a specific category. These guys are in it for themselves, and it’s nice to hear independent music from independent individuals who aren’t depending on trends to prove a point.
Moka Only is back with a brand new album, and I’m excited about this because I’m a fan. But how to describe an artist that has become quite prolific in the last few years, and how does one attempt to describe his new one with such a title as Carrots And Eggs (URBNet)? I will begin by saying that the album is as varied as the title indicates, but it is still Moka and Moka Only. Is there another way to accurately describe what I hear? Well, if Quasimoto‘s The Further Adventures Of Lord Quas was somehow made accessible with a bit of refinement, it might sound a bit like Carrots And Eggs.
Moka Only continues to write as a wordsmith with the kind of rhymes and vocal patterns that shows a true love for the music, and the album comes off as a log about a casual day, week, month, or year in the life of the man with stories that some have been waiting years to hear again. He’s always been around of course, but an album by him could be someone’s entry point into a deep catalog. Sadat X appears in “The New Era B-Boy Pockets”, and Moka states that when we were young, we placed cassettes/mix tapes in your pockets to show pride in the music and the feelings we experienced when we heard the music. He and Sadat X suggest that we are now in a new era, and it’s time to welcome in the new generation. At times he comes off like a hippie when compared to everyone else in hip-hop today, and I don’t mean that in an insulting way. The guy is so laid back that it seems he could right 40 more albums and release them throughout the year, and still be interesting to listen to, songs like “Grown Man Troubles”, “Eneff”, and “Starfish” are not mere filler. I also mention this because this album is 23 songs strong, with various intros and outros throughout consisting of unused ideas, and in other hands it might come off like a regular mix CD. What makes Carrots And Eggs different is that there is cohesiveness, a stready stream of thought that runs through it where if you fall asleep and come back in 15 minutes, you’ll know you missed something.
But he is very much a hip-hop scholar, someone who knows, loves, and breathes this music with all of his heart and soul, and while an album with a slightly unusual title may seem weird at first, the music is not. You might want to include Carrots And Eggs in your musical diet, as it might become on the top of your four basic food groups.
You may not have heard the name Dionyza before, but it’s safe to say that if you listen to R&B or have kids, cousins, nephews, or nieces who watch The Disney Channel, you probably have heard her voice. More on that later.
Dionyza’s Quite Like Me (Little Dizzy) is a self-released album highlighting her great voice, and it comes from having parents who were songwriters for Motown. The hard work and determination from her parents lead her to becoming a session vocalist, helping out a wide range of producers, and making it to… I don’t want to mention it yet, but keep reading.
I received this CD and I’ll be honest, I thought it was going to be like any other. Was she going to be just another “random R&B chick” who uses Auto-Tune to make a living? She sports a hat, smiles gleefully, shows that she has the body to make it work and sure, sexiness can and does work but it still does not indicate if the music itself is good. Again, it could be any other random person doing what they think they can do best, which writers like myself get piles and piles of on a regular basis. However, once I put the first song on, I knew this wasn’t someone random.
I’ll explain why. It’s nice to hear a singer who doesn’t have to use any major altering effects to be heard. I’m not talking about echo, reverb, and compression, but there’s no Auto-Tune on this, or at least I don’t hear it. This is someone who can truly sing, which seems like an oddity in 2009 but it’s true. She sounds like a much stronger Keyshia Cole, mixed in with a bit of Karyn White, kinda silky, always sexy, but always strong. The first single, “I Told Myself”, was co-written with Robbie Nevil of “C’est La Vie”/”Dominoes” fame, and in this track she flips a sample made famous by Jay-Z via Kanye West, a sample that was originally composed by Dionyza’s parents (Michael & Brenda Sutton’s “Sunrise”, recorded by The Originals). The song is now full circle, people will no doubt be familiar with the beat, but hearing it in this fashion brings it much closer to home for everyone involved. She gets more comfortable as the album goes on, getting comfortable so to speak in tracks like “If It Kills” (which has a slight Pussycat Dolls/Nicole Scherzinger vibe to it) and “Give It To Me”, a jazzy track that will easily turn the heads of Chante Moore fans. She’s comfortable in soul, pop, jazz, and ballads, and when you hear her sing not only leads but backgrounds and how compatible she is with the music, I’m sure she could pull off a few country and rock songs too, if she hasn’t done so already.
I’m someone who is a sucker for great background vocalists, or the people you tend to hear but rarely see. Dionyza is pushing herself to take some of the spotlight that has been placed on the people and projects she has worked with and on before, including the first two High School Musical movies, Bratz (she is the singing voice of Sasha and Jade), along with projects by Babyface and Christina Aguilera. After listening to Quite Like Me, I now believe that this lady is too good to be hidden in the background, and yet if her star is about to shine in a major way, I hope she continues to do more background work just so people will be able to hear more from her. This is a great album.
Pop music: I love it when it is eclectic and unpredictable, where the influences seem to come from everywhere at once and you’re sitting there wondering what will come next. Clue To Kalo is a group put together by one individual, who brings in friends to compliment the sounds coming out of his mind.
What I hear on Lily Perdida (Mush) are sounds that sound like late 60′s and early 70′s pop, with lush and tight arrangements and the kind of playful instrumentation you really don’t hear anymore. The fact that these songs could fit on some hippie road film and an episode of Schoolhouse Rock at the same time shows the power that Mark Mitchell has with his music. He, along with vocal partner Ellen Carey, paint delicate pictures mixed with porcelain blue, brown, orange, and sweet purple and they caress it in the ocean by surfing the colors and coasting into the sunshine of tomorrow, or at least that’s the music that inspired what I just said. Mitchell and Carey use their voices and lyrics to tell a story told by different people in a story, which you can read in the liberetto as you listen to the music. The narrative is interesting, for while it is sung from the perspective of each character, the narrator (who has his own song) seems to pop up throughout the lyrics as if a metaphorical voice-over, to help the listener figure out where he or she is in the storyline. What you end up hearing is also what you help create in your mind, it is very much mind music, Clue To Kalo have been called cinematic by a number of critics and I can see why. Their music is the kind that leads to great mental films, as you are able to hear different textures which helps created different landscapes. You “see” trees, you see a lake in the fall as it slowly turns to ice, you see an old Victorian house, you see yourself in the mirror growing eerily load, and yet all of that is in your mind, coming in through audio content.
This is the kind of pop that is too clever, but I think there are enough clever people who will want to make this their own. They may be too clever and will want to not share it, but that’s the price one has to pay for music as satisfying as this. Share, but only so far.
If you’re in the mood for a bit of cabaret singing, look no further than This Moment (self-released), the new album from Nancy Stearns.
She’s a jazz singer who knows how to cater to the song’s needs and wants, in other words she treats songs with class and talent, and there’s no shortage of either on the 16 songs here (clocking in at close to 49 minutes). in “Rise ‘N’ Shine/A Shine On Your Shoes”, she begins the song with a dialogue that sounds like what you’d hear if you caught her at a nightclub, before bassist David Finck and pianist Gregory Toroian start in and walk together to make the song groove. In fact, the entire album is based on the setlist she did last year for a series of shows, so you are hearing the full nightcub act, without the annoying talk from people next to you and glasses dropping at the bar. “The George Bush Society” is the perfect song to hear as the world escorts him out of the door.
Fans of vocal jazz and the cabaret will make this CD a personal favorite, and Finck’s basslines are sample worthy too.
Padre Pio has released an EP featuring a photo of Christ between cleavage, or so says the battleram. The Madeline EP was originally released in 2006 but the group are reviving it for a new world in 2009. Their sound sounds liks a cross between David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen with a pinch of Julian Cope. In other words, within the punk and new wave sheen is a hint of 60′s pop, 70′s rock and folk, and in “Color” maybe Gary Numan meets Joy Division. In other words, the songs can be dark and moody but with some detail of optimism heard somewhere, be it a saxophone in “High Fives” or the piano work in “Common Day”.
Very interesting, curious to see what they’ll pull off with a full length.
Rick Frank has been playing drums with jazz bands for many years, but many have become to love the work he has released under his own name. Yellow Mountain (黄山) (Decker Creek) he performs with two different sets of musicians to create one of those jazz albums that you know you will have on repeat for years, the kind of album you’ll want to share with friends when they want to know what you’re currently listening to. Even if you’re not listening to it, it’s the album that you pull out to show off your stereo equipment.
Frank has a number of friends helping out on this album, including Mark Snyder (bass), Oscar Stagnaro (bass), Paulo Stagnaro (percussion), Brad Hatfield (piano, keyboards), Bruce Abbott (saxophone), and Jim Robitaille (guitar). There’s a modern feel to this jazz, the kind that was explored by many artists from the late 70′s on, it’s very electric in feel but not in the Miles Davis sense. It’s very soulful and perhaps a few steps away from smooth jazz, but hearing the different textures and changes within the title track will make you realize this isn’t a group of musicians who are working on cruise control. “Island Of Introspection” sounds a bit like Pat Metheny through Robitaille’s guitar work, while “Hymn To Kalopi” could have easily been performed with Stan Kenton or Steely Dan in mind, it’s very mellow in its pace, very deliberate and precise, creating a drive that is relaxing and sensual at the same time, even though it was written as a musical hymn. “Monk Funk” is just as what the title indicates, a nice jazzy funk track honoring the Thelonious one in song and perceived dance. Frank is a very full and fluid drummer, never playing too loud but always adding color to create the pictures he wants listeners to hear and see.
It’s an album that is immediately dedicated to the gangsters, and then the ladies, but that is the world of Kurupt co-starring Roscoe. The Frank & Jess Story (Highpowered Entertainment LLC) has Kurupt and Roscoe getting funky in the grand scheme called the streets, with easy, occasionally sleazy party tracks that is knee deep in the good stuff. Despite their Philadelphia upbringing, they both owe a lot to the influences of Long Beach, and Kurupt continues to offer the kind of street anthems that will make everyone groove, dance, and lean back. There are songs here for the clubs, tracks for the weekend picnic, and when Too $hort joins you for “Break It Down Like”, you know you’re asking for some ass crack and trouble. While most of the album talks about the ways of the streets, “I Got You” does show the kind of maturity that would have been great to hear from Kurupt, but as the song indicates, he’s not willing to give up the ways of a G.
Unfortunately I didn’t get a full copy of the album to review, so perhaps you’ll fare better when you pick up a copy.
…AND NOW, THE HAWAIIAN MUSIC CORNER
Hawaiian Time‘s new album, Life Goes On (Lana’i Boyz) started on a very haunting note, sounding like a cross between ancient hula with Tangerine Dream. “Kamehameha The Great” is indeed a great song about the first king of the Hawaiian islands, and I really wish the album would have stayed on this lyrical path.
Unfortunately it doesn’t.
The remainder of the album is full of puppy love placed on top of warmed over reggae, it’s almost as if you’re too aggressive, it’s best left unheard because all of these songs are just too sticky sweet for me. Their cover of Bon Jovi‘s “I’ll Be There For You” is too predictable. These are adults performing music that sounds no better than Kidz Bop. If they enhance what they’ve done with “Kamehameha The Great”, I would want to hear more from Hawaiian Time. These guys are veterans too, and this is just… c’mon guys.
More Jawaiian music, and I’m going to be constructive about this one. These guys need to find an outside producer who could help mold and shape them into better performers and songwriters, because while these guys have the hooks, I feel you shouldn’t fill the first 20 seconds of the song with them. Keep the listener wanting to hear the entire song, don’t give it away right off the bat.
It sounds like music you’d hear on a reunion television show, where two friends see each other for the first time in years, but the idea of what could be is a lot more appealing than the reality. Or choose decent songs of substance to cover to help balance the weakness of your own material (all of the songs are originals). The songs are radio friendly for Hawai’i Nei, but there will be no mainstream appeal for people outside of the islands. If these guys find a producer, I’m sure there would be a shift in their sound.
The primary sound of Maoli Music is Jawaiian, and I was really expecting more of the same. Most of Groovin’ (Pacific Island) is decent Jawaiian music that is made with at least some effort, but what made a huge impact on me, the song that impressed me more than the entire album was the title track. “Groovin’” features Pi’ilani Arias and the beat is more ska than roots reggae, and it has the feel of some of the disco, soul, and funk that many Hawaiian groups had taken as their own in the late 70′s. If the group wanted to branch out and find a way to gain a bigger audience, I would love to hear them do material was great as this song. I’m curious to know if these guys would be willing to play around with this song, especially by adding a real horn section (a la Tower Of Power) than using horn synths. If these guys were able to become diverse, they could be as huge as Katchafire.
What also impressed me was the bass work of Kakana Akiu-Corpuz, they push him rightfully in front of the mix, helping it sound as if they actually went to Kingston to record this. Maoli Music have the chops, they know how to right well, they have those Hawaiian vocal harmonies, but it would be cool to hear them do more than just Jawaiian music. They sound comfortable, but I’d like for them to get out of their comfort zone in order to strengthen their already present skills. If they had the budget to meet up with a Rick Rubin or Madlib, I can only imagine how huge these guys would become. I hope they take on the festival circuit this season.
While not Hawaiian, Lole Usoalii represents her Samoan culture to the fullest, and just like fellow Samoan vocalist Kylie Auldist, she does things differently to show that she’s capable of creating music which shows her love of soul and folk without watering it down.
Simply going by the name of Lole, The Movement (Urban Sounds Music), she makes herself out to be a healer, spokeswoman, and activist for not only Samoans but all Polynesians, and to strengthen the power of a woman. Her voice can be raspy at times and may sound like a cross between Lauryn Hill and Billie Holiday, but with that voice she is able to share her views about power, the struggle, and doing what you feel passionately about, as she does in songs like “One Heart (Tasi)”, “Hymn (Le Aso Fiafia)”, and “Better Days”. Her voice and the music sound very true, I hate to use the word “authentic” because what does that mean? To me, she sounds true to herself, it doesn’t sound as if she’s cashing in on trends or to become a success. She also does it by mixing English with Samoan, so whether it’s a nice funky dance track or a ballad (“Redemption (osa a’e le la)”), you feel the emotion she brings out with each word and you can’t help but want to become a fan. There’s a point in this song where she sounds eerily like Amy Hanaiali’i, so perhaps one can move these two ladies to do a duet in the future (a track with Dani Girl would also be great.)
Lole is a soldier who doesn’t seem like someone who will stop doing what she does best. She recently won the “Best Pacific Female Artist” honor at last year’s Pacific Island Music Awards, and she has the kind of appeal that would be much greater than the Polynesian fanbase she currently has. While the album is very folksy and earthy in nature, I think she’s more than capable of singing anything and everything, and her rhyme flow isn’t bad either.
Now we get to the good stuff.
When Tia Carrere came out with her first all-Hawaiian album a few years ago, I was blown away. The album received a lot of positive reviews not only for her great voice, but for her interpretations of Hawaiian standards. I also liked it for her cover of The Carpenters‘ “Sing A Song”, anyone who grew up in the 1970′s will remember that song at school and for a lot of us, especially in Hawai’i, it brings us back to a much simpler time. Carrere has joined up once again with guitarist/producer Daniel Ho for a new album, this time the both of them getting a co-credit for ‘Ikena (Daniel Ho Creations), which is nominated this year for a Best Hawaiian Album Grammy.
As the album credit indicates, it’s an album that not only brings Carrere and Ho together again, but perhaps through the exposure it will also help people become more aware of Ho, as there are a number of songs that feature just him and his guitar or ‘ukulele. “Hula In Seven” is what you think it is, a great song performed in a 7/4 time signature where he simply sings various numbers in Hawaiian. “Pule no Malia” has Carrere beginning the song acapella before the piano comes in and shows her elegance once again. The song is a prayer of sorts. From the sacred to the secular, Ho has an urge to break his fast with “The Breakfast Song (Pineapple Mango)”, and while it can be considered a playful song for children, one could easily turn this into a seductive piece if they wish to. Anyone who still calls Kaimuki home will definitely have to bust out the Kleenex box upon listening to “‘O Ia Uka”, as it talks about the scenery as some will remember it as children and as it still stands. Ho gets a bit funky and bluesy with “Na ‘Ikena Like ‘Ole”, which describes the great places that can be found on O’ahu, and while the reference to America seems unnecessary, perhaps those who choose to record it in the future will change the line to say “Beautiful indeed is Hawai’i Nei”. “Papahanaumoku (Earth Mother)” may make some Hawaiian music purists wince but I thought the arrangement was original and worthy of respect. It sounds like a Hawaiian chant at first, but actually features a modern vocal arrangement, bringing together the Hawai’i of the past with the Hawai’i of today as it looks towards the future.
Downside to the album? It feels more like a Daniel Ho album than a Tia Carrere one, even though the balance between the two is even, but when Carrere sings, one cannot deny who that voice comes from. Carrere’s Hawaiiana was very much about her as the focus and I preferred it that way, and that’s not to take away anything from what Ho does as a musician, because the guy is incredible. If anything, it will move people who never heard of Ho to find more of his music, and for Carrere newbies to find the first album and look forward to the next one if she plans on doing so. ‘Ikena is also a few minutes short of 32 minutes, I would have preferred three more songs to at least have it close to 40 but it works as is. Anyone who has ever heard of Ho’s productions in the last few years will find that same quality on this.
The album cover for 2 To 3 Feet: ‘Ukuleles In Paradise 3 (Daniel Ho Creations) has Herb Ohta Jr. and Daniel Ho sitting down playing their respective instruments as if they’re kicking at school during recess or lunch, jamming and allowing anyone and everyone to take a listen. The jazzy vibe of the album’s opening track, “Pahala We Go”, sounds a hell of a lot like the 70′s output of Ohta’s father, Herb “Ohta San” Ohta, it’s almost eerie. Ohta Jr. has catered more to the easy listening/quiet storm side of things in recent years, but his playing has always been incredible, showing the influence of pops but also showing his drive to push the ‘ukulele even further. Ho’s talents as a musician have yet to be fully measured, and here he displays his ‘ukulele skills like the master he is, listen to “Bodysurfing”, “Slack Tides”, and “Laupahoehoe Hula” and you know this guy isn’t a joke.
Ohta and Ho do an excellent job here, all of the songs are instrumental so it’s perfect for listening as you’re heading to the beach, playing on the plane as you visit Hawai’i for the first time or heading back home to stock up on Leonard’s, Char Hung Sut, and W&M up in Kaimuki, looking for the perfect Sunday morning album, or if you’re longing for home and you got a bit of the homesick blues. The vibe of the album is reminiscent not only of Ohta San’s albums, but some of the works of Don Baduria, Peter Moon, and Keola Beamer in terms of style and continuity of sound. It is also a great way to listen to how far the ‘ukulele has gone from a simple cha-lang-a-lang instrument to something that is identified with Hawai’i, even if the instrument itself is from somewhere else. Anyone who has ever wanted to hear the ‘ukulele played at its best will have to purchase this third installment of the ‘Ukuleles In Paradise series, then move backwards and proceed to explore their individual catalogs.
The sound of ki ho’alu, or Hawaiian slack key guitar, is very distinctive, its style and various tuning styles had often been passed in secrecy from family member to family member so that one player would not sound like the other. For a brief time it seemed that as the legends of ki ho’alu passed away or quietly left the music scene, the music quietly faded away too, especially as Jawaiian music began to dominate the marketplace. As various American styles of “roots music” began to be reappreciated, it seemed Hawaiian music was not a major part of that, or so we thought. The move to have traditional or older styles of Hawaiian music heard again by those outside of the islands began in the early 1990′s, and with new promotional outlets such as the internet began to dominant, people realized that ki ho’alu was one of the brighest sounds of the Pacific, and arguably one that is more accessible despite the language barrier in songs with vocals. That did not stop the old timers from making their last statements, nor did it slow down the many musicians who have made the music a true passion for them. The tradition continues with a great live album called The Spirit Of Hawaiian Slack Guitar (Daniel Ho Creations).
The recordings on this album come from a series of slack key concerts performed on Maui, allowing people to hear this music not coming from a stereo or CD player, but in the flesh. It’s not just about the playing, the tuning, or the meaning of the songs, but often times the musician can sense the emotions going on in the crowd, and when it happens, they “geev ‘um” as best as they can. It begins with the first track, “Hawaiian War Chant”, and while you have no doubt heard this song thousands of times, I can guarantee you have never heard it like this. The slack key comes corutesy of George Kahumoku Jr., who is accompanied by harmonica player Norton Buffalo, who gives the song a bluesy, slightly countrified edge that only adds to the meaning of the song. To take it home on the first track might seem like putting all of the chips on the table on the first hand, but it only makes you want to sit down, relax, and really listen to what this album has to offer. Owana Salazar performs “Hi’ilawe” with a graceful touch and her vocals are haunting yet beautiful. Bobby Ingano joins Derrick Mau in “Moana Chimes” which gave me chicken skin because it reminds me of the records my grandfather used to play every weekend at his apartment, which to me always reminded me of the old sound of Waikiki that I only experienced through records and movies. Sonny Lim should be very familiar to fans of The Lim Family, and along with Keoki Kahumoku, Peter deAquino and Sterling Seaton he sings “Ka Uluwehi O Ke Kai” in that Big Island style that has become his own song as well. George Kahumoku Jr.’s version of “I Ali’i No ‘Oe” reminds me of something I would have heard on The Waimea Music Festival album as a kid, very playful and yet very precise, makes you want to yell “kanikapila” at a party to see how many people will jam with you. Need a tearjerker? For me, anytime I hear Richard Ho’opi’i, you might catch me wiping a tear because that voice brings me back to when I was a kid listening to “Hawaiian Rainbow”, “Ei Nei”, or “Kupa Landing”. That sweet falsetto voice is here singing “I Ali’i No ‘Oe”, and there is no one who has that voice, it will be a very sad day when he passes on. The album ends with a tribute to the Mexican pani’olo (cowboy) who helped introduce this style of guitar playing to the Hawaiian islands, which would develop into its own unique style. “La Canción de los Paniolos” is dialogue between decades, eras, cultures, ethnicities, a mixture of the struggle of people and the glory of finding common ground in strange lands, which can only result in harmony, musical or otherwise. While I would have preferred an extra 10 minutes to this CD (it runs for 34), after hearing this you will understand why it too has been nominated this year for Best Hawaiian Album.
Frank Kawaikapuokalani Hewett is a kumu hula whose outstanding work has contributed to the history of the hula. As an artist he has showed a side of himself that is a bit more personal yet just as reflective as his dances, and after years of being away from the recording studio, he has returned with Honehone i ka Poli (Daniel Ho Creations).
If you want to know how powerful he can be in his music, just listen to the opening track, “E ‘Akahai E Na Hawai’i”, where it’s just him, his daughter Ula Hewett, and Daniel Ho (who plays the music throughout the album, in this song he’s on piano). It sounds like a gentle rain or a lullaby, and lyrically it almost comes off as his own version of “Desiderata”. When he sings “‘O ke aloha ka mea i ho’ola ai (Where there is aloha, there is life and healing”), it was too much for me. The song is spiritual in nature, and you don’t have to subscribe to any one faith (or any faith) to understand what that means, and if you’re Hawaiian, it’s the struggle that we deal with in the hopes that we can be of sound mind throughout life, and amongst each other. The songs are about the strong unity one feels between himself and the world; sights, sounds, and scents, along with ohana (family) and hoa’aloha (friends) are all acknowledged and the gratitude is shared. The arrangements are simple and never too complex, it’s just father and daughter singing with musical accompaniment and you can feel the power in their voices and the lyrics, all written by Kawaikapuokalani Hewett.
All of the songs are gentle in nature (figuratively and literally, and when he gets to the album closer, “Kahikilani”, just as he shares in his hula, he leaves a statement behind for all to listen and comprehend. The song is very much about a woman who was betrayed by her lover, going through the pain she felt and sorrow for what has happened. There is a Hawaiian that goes with this, a mixture of pure love amongst two people, a promise made, and then a hint of betrayal when the man in the equation forgot the promise (if you’re unfamiliar with the legend, click here.) The last verse translates to “It seems that you are bedecked my beloved/with leis of hala my sweetheart/I am the lehua lei you should have retained”. In a modern context it’s a dis, and in the legend the lady (Ka’iulani) turns Kahikilani to stone soonafter. If you know about Hawaiian music, there’s generally some metaphor involved so one may see the verse evolve into something slightly social if not political. What exactly does the “lehua lei” represent, and what exactly did someone lose when it was not retained? That is the beauty and poetic sense of Hewett’s work, and the song represents the overall beauty of Honehone i ka Poli, an album where it’s not about the destination, but the journey in getting there. This is very much a journey for Hewett, and one he does not mind sharing with those who have admired his work over the years.
If you have any new music, DVD’s, books, or hot sauce, please contact me through my MySpace page and I’ll pass along my contact address. In the past I have generally frowned over receiving digital files, but I will accept them on a case by case basic. I still prefer hard copy as I want to hear the quality of the recording (which is important to me), but digital files are fine.
