“Music You Heard Tonight”
Makana
(Makana Music)
With this aptly titled 13-song CD, Makana, who is off to travel the world before moving to Los Angeles, bids farewell to Hawaii and the current chapter of his career with a final demonstration of the breadth and depth of his repertoire.
“Starry Eyes,” one of the songs he wrote for the album, shows his skill as a perceptive lyricist; it is one of several that display his strength of feeling as a vocalist. An instrumental, “Napo‘o Ka La,” keeps the faith with fans of his work as a slack-key virtuoso. “Cuando Calienta El Sol” is a tribute to his early mentor, Sonny Chillingworth. And there’s a dramatic remake of “Fire and Rain,” the song that was James Taylor’s breakthrough hit in 1970.
Makana wrote “Fire is Ours” to support Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. It is a political statement that challenges the listener to question the status quo.
Contact makanamusic.com.
“Koko”
Ron Kualaau & Zanuck Lindsey
(Kapala Music Group)
Ron Kualaau and Zanuck Lindsey are real-life cousins; Kualaau best known as the Hawaiian half of the duo HAPA, Lindsey as a Hoku Award-winning singer/guitarist whose musical interests range from big band to rock.
Almost all of the songs are originals, some written by Kualaau, others by Lindsey, some by both and some in partnership with others. They range in style from Hawaiian-language rock to country, in subject matter from idealized descriptions of island life to an exquisite love song.
“Ka Leo O Ka Lani” sets the timeless lyric images of 20th century hapa haole music to a contemporary guitar-based arrangement. It closes the album on a soothing, romantic note.
Visit kapalamusic.com.
“Aloha Mambo”
Rolando Sanchez
(RSC Music Hawaii)
When Rolando Sanchez came to Hawaii in 1984 there were two distinct types of Hispanic music in play here. One was the contemporary salsa music that Puerto Rican military personnel enjoyed. The other was the folkloric jibaro music played by members of Hawaii’s kamaaina Puerto Rican community. Nicaraguan by birth but a product of the San Francisco music scene, Sanchez believed that contemporary Hispanic music should not remain isolated within those two ethnic communities. With his first Hawaii recordings, he connected with the local mainstream.
On his new CD-single, Sanchez leads a five-piece group in expressing his love for Hawaii, mambo-style. A second instrumental track showcases the rhythm section.
Visit rolandosanchez-salsahawaii.com.
