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"Hawai‘i Keawe (Music For the Hawaiian Islands Vol. 1)" Kuana Torres Kahele (Kuana Torres Kahele)
With the release of "Hawai‘i Keawe (Music For the Hawaiian Islands Vol. 1)," Kuana Torres Kahele embarks on a musical project that is almost unprecedented in Hawaiian music.
The album, "Hawai‘i Keawe" for short, is a collection of 10 new original songs about Kahele’s home island — Hawaii, the Big Island, Moku O Keawe, call it what you will. The lyrics describe the island’s beauty, celebrate historically important places and share the traditional names for specific types of rain and wind.
It is also the first in a series, with Kahele to release similar albums honoring the beautiful places and unique traditions of each of the major islands. The second album in the series, honoring Niihau, will be released in September. Upon completion of the series, Kahele will have written almost 100 new songs specifically for hula.
The last time Hawaii saw anything similar in terms of a multi-album project by a single artist was Palani Vaughan’s four-album "Ia ‘Oe E Ka La" series honoring Kalakaua in the ’70s and early ’80s.
Writing this much new music would be a challenge for almost any artist, but "Hawai‘i Keawe" shows Kahele is up to the challenge. The music is beautiful and the writing embraces several styles.
The title song opens the album and describes his love of the island in general terms. The aptly titled "Aloha No Kona" tells of his feelings for the Kona district; it is the first of several that he sings in his beautiful falsetto voice. The lyrics of other songs are equally descriptive. Some of them also suggest romantic encounters amid the beautiful scenery, fragrant flowers, winds and rain of his beloved island.
Kahele is a multitalented musician who plays guitar, ukulele, ipu and acoustic bass. Steel guitarist Casey Olsen and pianist Les Ceballos join him on what is otherwise a one-man project.
Hula dancers can’t dance and singers should not sing without knowing the correct lyrics and meaning of the song they’re doing. Kahele’s liner notes provide that essential information and include instructions on how to make a lei liko lehua, the official lei of the Big Island.
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