ISLAND SOUNDS
Vivid tunes in 'Heart' worth a listen
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By Wayne Harada
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"Listen To Your Heart" by KUmZ (Michael Casupang and Karl "Veto" Baker); Kauakoko Foundation/KUmZ
All tunes are originals by KUmZ, the term of adoration for kumu and the chosen name of the duo. What Baker and Casupang have created here is remarkable and resourceful: personal emotions and remembrances transferred into eloquent and lovely musical postcards of places and experiences — precisely what the hula masters of yesteryear did for generations then and now. The difference is now CDs make passing the torch much easier.
The opening two tracks recall treks to Kaua'i; "Ho'olohe I Ka Poli (Listen to Your Heart)" tells of fragrance of laua'e, the cliffs of the Garden Isle, the salt beds and more; "'O Wai'ale'ale" is an aural snapshot of lush palapalai, cloud banks at Wailua, the mists of Waipa. Both are zesty hula favorites.
"Aotearoa Is Calling" is an English-Hawaiian homage to Aotearoa, with guest voices; similarly, "Korakora" is influenced by travels about another island paradise.
"Popohe Ka Pua" is the result of a haku mele class under the tutelage of Puakea Nogelmeier, the scholar-composer, that salutes KUmZ's kumu, Robert Cazimero of Halau Na Kamalei, under whose guidance the duo danced, graduated and blossomed into hula leaders themselves. There's hearty dedication and abundant aloha — of and for lei, wind, blooms, the 'aina.
"Kalaekilohana," an 'ukulele-accented ditty about a B&B in Ka'u, is perhaps the most simple and spirited and Hawaiian — a kanikapila item that drives to the title of the disc: A memory close to the heart lives through the place you love.
"You're Gonna Miss Me," a Casupang solo with choral support from Na Pua Onaona, is a piano-backed English-language ballad that expresses the bond of dancing and 'ohana — and that inevitable day of parting. Sounds like coda from one life to another.
Sample song: "Ho'olohe I Ka Poli (Listen to your Heart)" by KUmZ |
"Admit One" by Pimpbot; Pass Out Records
Pimpbot is Fernando "The Love Machine" Pacheco, lead singer, trombone, tuba; Tom "Tommy Utah" Coleman, guitars, background vocals; Rylan "Big Sexy" Yee, bass, keyboards, background vocals; and Eric "The Biz" Lagrimas, drums, percussion, tenor sax.
It writes its own tunes, and pounds out themes that have some everyday relevance. The rainbow of rock ranges includes the soaring "Day Into Night," the gasoline-influenced "Driving on E," the frenzy of love on "Apple of My Eye." But parents, be warned: Some lyrics, such as those on "Eat My Lyric" and "Just Fine," tell it too frankly for young ones.
Sample song: "Baseball" by Pimpbot |
"Paparazzi" by Pharaoh Papi; Boo You Back Productions
"Like Dis" typifies Papi's craftsmanship — fast-talking recitations set against a deliberate tempo, stuff you'd expect in a club or on radio with this format.
Nothing wrong, except there's repetition and formula-riddled concepts that are requisites for this genre ... that could lead to a yawn. Papi features several singers (like Annabelle Kibbee on "Lullaby") for variety, but they, too, fall under the spell of repetition. Still, there's professionalism and dedication to spare.
Sample song: "Get Low" by Pharaoh Papi |
Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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