Christmas has been a holiday in Hawaii for more than 150 years, and music is a traditional part of the celebration. Four recent releases by Hawaii recording artists, and a fifth by California slack-key guitarist James "Kimo" West, provide new choices in seasonal music for 2013.
» "Carols of Christmas," by David Hicken (Enchanting Music)
From the first bars of "The Bell Carol," an imaginative piece arranged around the melodic themes of "Carol of the Bells" but incorporating other well-known melodies, classically trained pianist David Hicken’s imaginative arrangements demand and deserve attention. There’s a lush Nativity medley ("What Child Is This?"/"We Three Kings"), a striking treatment of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," a soothing lullabylike rendition of "Away in a Manger," and eight other selections that are equally beautiful.
"Carols of Christmas" and a separate "Carols of Christmas Songbook" that documents Hicken’s arrangements are available at www.davidhicken.com.
» "Lei Kulaia," by Napua (Pihana Productions)
She won a Na Hoku Hanohano Award as Napua Grieg and another as Napua Makua. Now she’s just Napua, and she celebrates Christmas with songs that address the "holiday season" on several levels. The opening mele oli (chant) honors Lono, a reminder that Hawaiians had a year-end seasonal observation of their own before haole (non-Hawaiians) brought Christmas here. She closes with "Take My Hand, Precious Lord," an old-time gospel song that has nothing to do with Christmas as such, but serves as a reminder that Jesus is a part of Christian life throughout the year.
In between is an eclectic assortment of Christmas standards, some sung in Hawaiian, some in English, some in both languages. Several relate to Christmas as the celebration of Jesus’ birth; others are about the festivities of the season.
A fresh and poignant Hawaiian/country rendition of "Blue Christmas" takes a Christmas classic and redefines it in imaginative style.
Napua gets excellent support from her musicians. Faux string effects detract from "The Christmas Song," but her pianists — Aaron Sala ("Ka Po La‘ela‘e" and "Mele Kalikimaka ia Kakou") and Dan Del Negro ("Take My Hand, Precious Lord") — do excellent work.
Napua completes this exquisite Christmas album with a beautifully illustrated booklet that provides the Hawaiian lyrics, English translations and her manao (thoughts) about each song.
» "My Island Christmas," by Mailani (HA Enterprises)
Mailani Makainai shares her love of Christmas with a collection of seasonal standards and stream-of-consciousness originals. "It’s a time for peace/Well wishes for you and me/Every man, woman and child/Absolute equality," she sings in "We Are One," the first song on the album. "War can end with us being friends/Let’s keep things calm/So we can overcome."
In another original, "Christmas Rendezvous," she describes the suspense of waiting for a possible Christmas Eve date — will her lover come to her or not? — in poignant and gripping style.
Two remakes stand out as examples of her imagination as an arranger and song stylist. Mailani takes "All I Want for Christmas Is You," originally a 1994 hit for Mariah Carey, adds some ukulele and makes it her own. "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" wasn’t written or released as a Christmas song in 1968, but if you consider the underlying meaning of Christmas and Jesus’ birth, Mailani’s bilingual version of the Jackie DeShannon hit fits quite nicely.
On the other hand, "Christmas Don’t Be Late," originally titled "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)," doesn’t have much substance without the comic interplay of David Seville and the Chipmunks that made the original version a Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper for four weeks back in 1958.
A pair of Hawaiian songs, both of them sung beautifully, add another facet to Mailani’s celebration of her favorite time of year.
» "Ki Ho‘alu Christmastime," by James "Kimo" West (Westernmost Records)
California slack-key guitarist James "Kimo" West has a perfect antidote to the intense stress of the Christmas season with his second album of ki hoalu (slack-key) instrumentals. It’s a sequel to "Kimo’s Hawaiian Slack Key Christmas" and lives up to the high standards set by that 2008 work. Christmas hymns, secular standards and R. Alex Anderson’s "Mele Kalikimaka" are all presented in fresh form. West also introduces a single original, "Kanikapila Christmas," that will likely become a seasonal standard in years to come. His selective use of additional instruments adds diversity.
» "Aloha Christmas," by Dukes of Surf (Coconut Groove Music)
The Dukes of Surf — JP Lam, Michael Lee and Mike Fish — are raising money for a local charity with this download-only Christmas single. The lyrics describe an idealized Hawaii where all the boys get surfboards for Christmas, the halls are decked with bird of paradise flowers and people build snowmen out of sand. The trio sounds like a G-rated mash-up of the Beach Boys and Gary Lewis & the Playboys.
All proceeds from U.S. iTunes sales in 2013 will be donated to the Hawaii Children’s Cancer Foundation.
See the video version on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2UKHdY8JHs. Buy the song at itunes.apple.com.
