SEAN NA‘AUAO

‘Hot Hits’
Island contemporary
Mountain Apple Co.

Sean Na'auao is one of the admired, successful performers who snagged radio airplay and sales then — and now. He can be Hawaiian, Jawaiian and — for a while, anyway — he was a member of The Mana'o Company. His music is like beef stew: 'ono and stays with you a long time.

Overview: After seven earlier albums, this compilation is for those who want to collect 'em all, or those who have yet to discover Na'auao. The feast is led by "Fish and Poi," with such toe-tapping appetizers as "Drop Baby Drop" and "Li Hing Hula," and the main-course staple, "He Lei Makana."

— Wayne Harada, Special to The Advertiser

3 stars

'Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar, Vol. 2'
Daniel Ho Creations

Slack-key compilations are a simple way to party hearty; 11 tracks, most with vocals, have been culled for a second volume to an award-winning series recorded live on Maui, where these artists regularly gather at the Napili Kai Beach Resort.

Overview: Everything considered, slack key is hypnotic and contagious, particularly when embraced by the likes of Dennis Kamakahi, George Kahumoku Jr., Richard Ho'opi'i, Keoki Kahumoku, Kawika Kahiapo, Sonny Lim, Daniel Ho, Owana Salazar (representing women) and others. Kahumoku Jr.'s "Ho'okupu" has pig-snorting sounds as a bonus in his tale of the pig god battling Madame Pele. Brief but savvy liner notations explain each cut.

— Wayne Harada, Special to The Advertiser

4 stars

'He Nani' Hawaiian
Daniel Ho Creations

Tia Carrere and Daniel Ho are Hawaiian Grammy winners from earlier this year; they continue to build their professional relationship with composer-ethnomusicologist Amy Ku'uleialoha Stillman.

Overview: This one's a real curiosity: The highlight is " 'aina Pumehana," part of a Stillman-Ho trilogy to Ho and his bride Lydia, a calming, comforting love song, written and sung in Hawaiian (with English translations in the liner sleeve), caressed with the joys of nature. The concept of slack key or piano accompaniment brings unblemished and simple undertones to Carrere's straightforward vocals. The influences of trades, sprinkles and trees yield a spartan "green" and tranquil stamp. Carrere's chant, "Wakea," is risky stuff.

— Wayne Harada, Special to The Advertiser

3 stars

'Venus and the Sky Turns to Clay'
Guitar instrumentals
Makana Music

Makana has been a boy wonder on ki ho'alu since his Ki ho'alu Kid days, So his progression as adult master of slack key is an expectation. He's a magician of moods, and he's subtle and sensational here — if you move beyond the CD title.

Overview: This all-instrumental venture of originals from his pen is an excursion into Makana's soul, a mirror of his life, a reflection of his future. There are wondrous Island-named titles, but these are mere labels that don't truly define what's in his spirit. "Waimanalo Slack Key" is evocative of a Windward jam with backyard casuality; "Dance of the Red Poppies" is almost sitar-like in texture and tone. It all plays like a one-on-one recital, like ethereal etudes.

— Wayne Harada, Special to The Advertiser

4 stars