“Pua Kiele”
Josh Tatofi
(Bu-Print)
Tongan-American Josh Tatofi’s album advances several traditions in local music. One is strictly family: Josh is the son of Tivaini “Tiva” Tatofi, one of the three founding members of Kapena in 1984. Hoku Award-winning studio engineer Kapena De Lima, namesake of the group and son of Kelly “Kelly Boy” De Lima, another member of the original trio, is the other half of almost everything heard here; Kapena De Lima plays almost all the instruments Tatofi does not.
Tatofi is also advancing the tradition of Polynesian R&B/hapa haole music explored by Kale Chang, Afatia Thompson and the vocal quintet Reign in the first years of this century, and also the hapa haole/pop harmonies of the Hawaiian vocal groups of the 1950s and early 1960s. He does so with excellent results.
He opens in Hawaiian-language R&B mode with a song titled “Kaneohe.” With no translations provided, the lyrics will be understood only by island residents who are fluent in Hawaiian, but the arrangement transcends that language barrier and shows that urban slow jams work just as well in Hawaiian as they do in English. If Brian Mc Knight recorded a “Hawaiian” album, the arrangements would probably sound like this.
Similar soulful harmonies also stamp the title song as something fresh in island music. Fans of traditional hapa haole music will embrace “Don’t Break My Heart” and “Shanda Jean” for their success in capturing the spirit of an earlier era in island music. Tatofi sings beautifully in either language.
The least interesting track is a straight remake of “You’re the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me,” a country chart hit for Ray Price in 1973 which was recorded a year later by Gladys Knight & the Pips as “Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me.” Tatofi’s remake is smooth urban pop but offers no new ideas.
Visit mele.com for CDs or iTunes.com for digital downloads.
“Mele Kalikimaka From Kauha‘a”
Kauha‘a
(Blue Christmas Music)
Ann Marie Kirk and Kauha‘a follow up on their three-song summer EP with a two-song “single” that contains two Christmas songs in a similar style.
Kirk harmonizes with band member Ronson Ascuncion on “Naughty or Nice” — a romantic suggestion that “naughty” may be more fun than “nice” for adults.
She’s the only voice on “It’s Not Christmas Until I’m in Your Arms,” with Ascuncion providing a melodic counterpoint on ukulele.
The lyrics are expository and don’t fit standard patterns of rhyme, but the rhythms are catchy — and there’s always room for new songs about the importance of being with loved ones at Christmas.
Both songs are available as free downloads at bluecratermusic.com.
