“Aloha Got Soul”

Various artists

(Strut)

The late Michael Cord made an unprecedented contribution to the preservation of vintage Hawaiian and hapa-haole recordings with his meticulously annotated, licensed reissues of out-of-print records. Roger Bong is now doing the same for out-of-print, locally recorded rock and pop. While two of the Hawaii’s early pop artists — Robin Luke and Ronnie Diamond — were signed by national labels, most others who recorded in the decades that followed were rarely heard outside of Hawaii. Bong intends to change that. This new anthology of recordings by 16 Hawaii pop acts from the 1970s and 1980s, packaged with thorough annotation and lots of artwork, is an excellent retrospective.

Some of these 16 artists are still active; others are fondly remembered. Still others were barely noticed when their records were originally released.

Among the biggest musical milestones is “‘O’ Kailua,” an early mele kue (song of resistance) by Nohelani Cypriano, released in 1978 to protest plans to build high-rises in Kailua. Also well remembered is “Get That Happy Feeling,” a song recorded by Lemuria, the big-band project created by Kirk Thompson after he left Kalapana; and recordings by Aura (“Yesterday’s Gone”), Hawaii (“Lady of My Heart”) and Greenwood (“Sparkle”). The collection also includes noteworthy early recordings by Brother Noland, Steve & Teresa, Chucky Boy Chock and Mike Kaawa, and a “shoulda gotten airplay” number by Roy & Roe.

All going well, Bong will assemble a second “Aloha Got Soul” anthology soon.

Visit alohagotsoul.com.

“We Ride”

The Rough Riders

(Rough Riders)

The term “supergroup” was coined back in the late 1960s to describe groups whose members were either star solo artists or former members of other highly successful groups. “Supergroup” is a perfect fit for the Rough Riders. Henry Kapono Ka‘aihue was the “Kapono” of Cecilio & Kapono, the biggest Hawaii duo of the second half of the 20th century; he has also had a prolific and innovative parallel career as a solo artist since 1981 and was the first Hawaii artist to incorporate Afro-Caribbean rhythms in original music. “Brother Noland” Conjugacion achieved stardom with his third album, “Pacific Bad Boy,” and his signature hit, “Coconut Girl”; he too was a pioneer in using Afro-Caribbean rhythms in contemporary hapa-haole music. John Cruz broke out as a Hawaii hit-maker in 1996 when he returned to the islands after years performing and recording on the mainland; since then he has become the most visible of several talented Cruz brothers. This six-song EP is the Rough Riders’ first release together.

The trio’s name pays homage to the paniolo (Hawaiian cowboys) who competed at the World Rodeo Championships in Cheyenne, Wyo., in 1908. The locals didn’t expect much of them, but one of the three paniolo, Ikua Purdy, was named the overall World Champion. It makes sense then that “Kila Kila Na Roughrider,” written to commemorate the cowboys’ success in 1908, is one of the songs the three modern Rough Riders included here.

“Waimanalo Blues,” written by Liko Martin and Thor Wald, has been known for more than 40 years as the melancholy dirge recorded by Country Comfort. The Rough Riders pump a lot more energy into the melody, and more soul into the song as well, to create a fresh take on an island classic.

Four originals display the trio’s other musical interests. Brother Noland’s composition, “I Love My Baby,” has a playful zest reminiscent of his early enigmatic hit, “Pua Lane.” Songs written by Cruz and Ka‘aihue show that they too have much to say as songwriters.

Visit roughridershawaii.com.