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“Songs From the Great Disruption”
Kanekoa
Luktown
Kanekoa — Vince Esquire (lead ukulele/backing vocals), Kaulana Kanekoa (rhythm ukulele/lead vocals), Don Lopez (bass ukulele, electric bass, backing vocals) and Travis Rice (percussion/backing vocals) — celebrates 25 years of friendship and music-making with a seven-song CD that shows off their versatility as performers and also the depth of their repertoire. Consider their choice of remakes: “Going To California,” written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant for Led Zeppelin’s fourth album in 1970,” and “Aloha Ka Leo O Kahi Manu,” written and first recorded by kumu hula Frank Kawaikapuokalani Hewett in 1982.
In keeping with the celebratory timing of the project, celebrity friends join them on almost every song.
The most prominent guest is their producer, Los Lobos member Steve Berlin, who joins them on one instrument or another for nearly every track. Other guests include George Kahumoku Jr., Amy Hanaiali‘i, Jake Shimabukuro, Tavana, G. Love and John Cruz. Cruz and Berlin team up with Kanekoa on “Don’t Let Go,” the song heard here co-written by Cruz and the band, that they released as a digital single last fall. The song’s blending of soft rock, acoustic pop and contemporary Latin music, synthesizer strings, baritone sax and slack key guitar, is unique on the album. The other songs come from different places in the repertoire.
The opening track, “Lightest Load,” is an appealing example of the quartet’s commitment to the electric ukulele. The arrangement brings to mind the island hits of Henry Kapono without sounding like a knock-off; they’re building on the past, not ripping it off.
Fresh combinations shine throughout. Esquire and Shimabukuro trade lead riffs on “Going to California” in a studio mix that deserves a listen on big speakers. G. Love adds a fifth voice and the warm folksy sound of harmonica to “Morning Sun.” Tavana brings the romantic sound of acoustic steel guitar to a dreamy song titled “Dos Amantes.”
Rastafarian culture is represented with “New Day Rising.” A standard Afro-Caribbean rhythm propels promises that “a new day is rising,” “all vampires will leveled” and eventually “we will live as one.”
The most elaborate idea is the three-track suite that closes the album. The first track is a telephone call to kumu hula Hewett. Hewett doesn’t answer, and the call goes to a recorded message in English explaining the story told in “Aloha Ka Leo O Kahi Manu.”
The second track is Kanekoa performing the song in Hawaiian with support from Hanaiali‘i (backing vocals), Kahumoku Jr. (slack key 12-string guitar), Eric Gilliom (backing vocals/rhythm guitar) and Geri Valdriz (steel guitar). It is a beautiful remake of a modern Hawaiian classic.
The final track is Hewett talking about the song in Hawaiian. Most listeners won’t understand what he is saying, but the recording is an instant time capsule showing how Hawaiian is spoken in 2022 by a native speaker of the language.
Kanekoa received a Na Hoku Hanohano Award (reggae album) in 2017. “Songs From the Great Disruption” could be a Hoku hana hou for them in a different category.
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