Napua Greig at ‘Home’ with country music

“Home”

Napua Greig

Pihana Productions LLC

We might soon see Napua Greig on the national country music charts: A song on her newly released album, “Home,” shows that Greig, a multi-Na Hoku Hanohano Award winner, is ready and worthy of notice in Nashville. “Unapologetically,” the fifth song on the album, explodes with a stirring declaration of strength and independence delivered by the singer to a man who obviously is unsatisfactory and on the edge of being dismissed. Greig evokes the example set by “the wahine I come from” in having made the decision to live her life unapologetically.

Greig and Wailau Ryder share credit as the song’s writers. Taking Grieg’s recording to Nashville and “shopping it” could also get something going for them as country music songwriters.

“Unapologetically” is one of several songs that mark a new course for Grieg as a recording artist. She mentions in the liner notes that singing about “my hurts and my fears” in Hawaiian had kept her feelings hidden from people who were not fluent in Hawaiian and conversant in the poetic use of kaona (hidden meanings). Singing in English puts everything “front and center.”

That’s what she’s doing with two other new songs. “Song Without a Tune,” this one co-written with Josh Tatofi, describes the experience of having conflicting feelings about a relationship; the lyrics are eloquent and poignant as well. “Home Is Where the Heart Is,” also co-written with Tatofi, speaks for everyone whose job requires being away from home.

Fans of Greig’s traditional Hawaiian repertoire will find plenty to like as well. Although the first song on the album, “I Look to You,” written by R. Kelly for Whitney Houston, is sung in English, the second, “Ma‘ema‘e Lihau,” written by Emma Kapena, with English translation by Kimo Alama Keaulana, finds her singing in Hawaiian as beautifully as ever.

An even brighter gem comes a few songs later with “Mi Nei.” The song’s composer, Charles E. King, would almost certainly give Greig two thumbs up for her exquisite vocal treatment of his lyrics and melody.

The vitality of Hawaiian music as a living and evolving art form is illustrated by three songs co-written by the album’s co-producer Zachary Alaka‘i Lum and Devin Kamealoha Forrest. Greig explains in the liner notes that one of the three, “Pualeimamo,” was written to honor the home of Larry Kimura (Kimura was a leader in preserving and revitalizing the Hawaiian language). English translations of all three allow everyone who isn’t fluent in Hawaiian to at least take a guess at the kaona in the others.

“I Look to You” isn’t the only example of Greig’s broader musical repertoire. Mark Yamanaka joins her on a remake of the Loggins & Messina hit, “A Love Song.” Glenn Awong is her singing partner on “When You Say Nothing at All,” a song known to country music fans as a country chart-topper for Keith Whitley in 1988.

Judged by its music alone, “Home” is certainly Hoku Award-worthy. It could also represent Hawaii quite well at the Grammys. Greig adds value for CD buyers with an illustrated liner-notes booklet that provides song lyrics, English translations and comprehensive production credits — and additional information on the personal battles she’s won and the stronger woman she has become.

Visit napuamusic.com to purchase a traditional hard-copy CD.