Posted on: Friday, August 24, 2007
ISLAND SOUNDS
CDs deliver ki ho'alu, hip-hop, punk-rock
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
"Kalani ... Live" by Kalani; Daniel Ho Creations
Genre: Hawaiian slack-key instrumentals with a few vocals.
Distinguishing notes: Kalani Smythe got his first guitar as a youth on Maui. In 2003, he recorded this "concert" CD at a restaurant called The Hamlet in the seaside town of Cambria, Calif.
Kalani (using a single monicker) plays Hawaiian ki ho'alu signatures such as Keola Beamer's "Real Old Style," Frank Kawaikapuokalani Hewett's "Ka Wai Lehua 'A'ala Ka Honua," and the Eddie Kamae-Larry Kimura classic, "E Ku'u Morning Dew." Kalani hurls "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" into the galaxy, too, reworking the children's favorite into a brand new ditty. "Pua Hone" and "Moloka'i Slide" are vocals with a rustic, laid-back mood. There's one Kalani original, "A Cruise to Ke'anae," which earned him ki ho'alu laurels in the 1998 KCCN Pride of the Islands contest.
Our take: One night can, indeed, evolve into a CD.
"The Kama'aina Classic" by I.A.; I.A. & The Hawaiian Punch Productions
Genre: Hip-hop, rap.
Distinguishing notes: I.A. is Jordan Salud, son of boxing champ Jesus "The Hawaiian Punch" Salud. And he throws his own street-savvy hip-hop punches that already have earned him airplay and concert gigs. The lead track, "Dat Island Sound," featuring B.E.T., suggests that the company you keep can be your passport to exposure. "808 Party" is more than an area code set to a beat; there's name- and place-dropping for a sense of people and place. "Hula" is a hip-hopper's view of the moves and manners of a dancer. Other guest artists (Justice Moon, on "To the Beat Y'all," Devious on "Hawaii on My Shoulders") yield a measure of diversity, even if the rhythms and beats start to sound repetitive. It's the genre, silly.
Our take: Not your usual hip-hop romp — this one has Hawaiian soul and spunk.
"Hawaiian Punk Volume 2" by various artists; Hawaiian Express Records
Genre: Punk rock.
Distinguishing notes: Jason Miller has amassed songs from two dozen of the Islands' top punk and rock bands for this collective that sashays from hard core to ska. Among the cuts: National Product's "Remember Me," Upstanding Youth's "3 Page Letter," Red Light Taxi's "Two Weeks Notice," The Knumbskulls' "Without Reason" and Icon Flu's "Party of One."
Our take: If you haven't yet been punk'd locally, this is a good starting point.
Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Sample song: "Meleana E" by Kalani Smythe