1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful beautiful music, December 7, 2007
This review is from: Hanalei Tradition (Audio CD)
The slack key guitar/ukelele music of Doug and Sandy McMaster is some of the most beautiful music ever put on cd. Their music evokes the beauty and peace of the Hawaiian islands, specifically Kauai, the home that inspires them.
Hawaiian music is extremely varied: some sounds like bluegrass, some could be called power-Hawaiian (definitely an oxymoron!), or Hawaiian rock; some Hawaiian singers are trying to be Celine Dion (God help us) or evoke a "Hawaii goes Vegas" sound; there are many great musicians putting out albums of wonderful Hawaiian music, Keola Beamer, Led Kaapana, and the great Iz just to name three; Doug and Sandy McMaster, though not as famous as these, are in the real, old-time authentic Hawaiian slack-key tradition. Gentle, melodic, and capable of slowing your heart-rate on the most stressed-out day.
The 12 tracks on their new cd, Hanalei Traditions, represent both traditional Hawaiian melodies and new, original compositions by Doug (we're on a first name basis since we traded baseball hats a couple of years back) that weave a seamless 52-minute tapestry of melody. All of the McMasters' cd's are wonderful: if you have others, this one is still a must; if you're a slack-key novice, this one is a terrific place to start.
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