Kicking off Christmas with music

“Maui Slack Key Christmas”

George Kahumoku Jr.

(Kealia Farms Record Co.)

Hawaiian slack key master George Kahumoku Jr. plays and sings 11 Christmas season songs on this year’s first-released Hawaii Christmas album. The selections range from island classics by Eddie Kamae and Alice Namakelua to “Po La‘i E” (“Silent Night” in Hawaiian) and Jose Feliciano’s seasonal hit, “Feliz Navidad,” to which Kahumoku adds Hawaiian lyrics along with the standard lyrics in Spanish and English.

Kahumoku personalizes the album with three original songs describing the Christmas season he enjoys on Maui and a slack key instrumental inspired by the view from his Maui home. He also adds value to the recordings by including concise explanations of what makes all 11 songs personally significant.

Visit kahumoku.com.

“Metal Kalikimaka Volume 3”

Tin Idols

(Tin Idol Productions)

Brian Wilson and Mike Love wrote back in 1963 that “Christmas comes this time each year,” and, for the third consecutive year in Hawaii, Christmas brings with it a “Metal Kalikimaka” album — Christmas season standards played heavy metal style by drummer/producer Gerard K. Gonsalves and his Tin Idols ohana.

Gonsalves leads a fluid group of musicians in backing a much longer list of vocalists, including Sandy Essman, Angelo Jensen, Kevin Jones and Marti “The Marti” Kerton of Hat Makes the Man. Though Gonsalves doesn’t include composers’ credits, it’s worth a mention that Kerton’s showcase number, “Christmas Wrapping,” was written by Chris Butler and recorded by his group, the Waitresses, in 1981.

Gonsalves takes a “time out” on the final track and lets some of the other Idols close with a piano-and-vocals arrangement of Leonard Cohen’s religious anthem, “Hallelujah.” It is an imaginative change of pace.

“Righteous Son Rize”

Rupert Tripp Jr.

(RJT Music)

Rupert Tripp Jr. was a member of contemporary local pop group Nalu! — yes, the exclamation point was part of their name! — in the late 1980s. He later became addicted to crystal meth for more than a decade before a newfound faith in Christ gave him the strength to turn his life around.

Tripp shared his story of redemption with a solo album, “For an Audience of One,” in 2003. He reaffirms his commitment to Christ with a second collection of Christian music. All but one of the songs are Tripp’s personal testament; the exception, “What A Good God,” is an international Christian song written and recorded by Pentecostal worship leader Tommy Walker in 2002. Tripp makes it his own.

Visit facebook.com/ruperttrippjr