Customer Reviews

Hapa

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the CD that made me fall completely in love with Hapa. With incredible guitar melodies by Barry Flanagan and the beautiful lead vocals by Kelii Kanealii... I have had this CD since it first came out in 1992, and I still have not gotten tired of it. Hapa conveys so many emotions in their music. From the strong, traditional Hawaiian songs, to the truly beautiful melodies of the instrumentals, Hapa doesn't fail to impress me no matter how many times I see them perform or listen to their CD. This is music that will make you close your eyes and give you chills...

I grew up in Honolulu (graduated high school there) and I must admit that I never really got "into" slack-key guitar music while I was living there. Why the heck did I move away? But after leaving the islands, the love for the island way of life leads invariably to nostalgia, and that's where "Hapa" makes its place in my life.

This CD gives me serenity and peace of mind when I'm stressed or otherwise just looking for a way to reconnect with all the beauty that is Hawai'i. The smooth sounds of Barry and Keli'i are so melifluous and peaceful that, however fast-paced and crazy life gets on the Mainland, you can close your eyes, listen to the island rhythms, and swear that the smell of the Pacific surf returns to you, with its instant ability to calm.

I have spent many a night in bed drifting off to this CD. It truly is a must-have for anyone who wants to be able to experience the beauty and tranquility of Hawaiian music.

To anyone who appreciates good Hawaiian music, and perhaps even to those unfamiliar with it, Hapa has made the best Hawaiian-music album since Olomana's "Seabird". Fittingly, they perform an Emily Taylor tune, "Ku'u Lei Awapuhi" (also covered by Olomana), with their usual blend of beautiful guitar and vocal harmonies. Sadly, overproduction of the background vocals (especially in the intro) sends this track flying into the 21st century, perhaps due to the influence of Kenny Loggins. This blemish aside, several songs (such as "Ka Uluwehi O Ke Kai" and "Lei Pikake") stand out for their purity and simplicity. Taking nothing away from his vocal ability, Barry Flanagan's guitar work is outstanding, and his fondness for harmonics is reminiscent of Jaco Pastorius (who also hailed from a tropical area -- Florida). The slack-key instrumental is an early highlight of the album. The course of future Hawaiian folk music will be heavily influenced by the production-related aspects of this album; paradoxically, Hapa has managed to stay true to the roots of Hawaiian music and yet forge ahead to new musical possibilities.

"Hapa," which means "half" in Hawaiian, refers to the fact that Keli'i Kaneali'i, one half of this duo, is Hawaiian, while Barry Flanagan, the composer of most of these songs and the lead guitarist, is a haole who lives in the islands and who has absorbed its culture into his bones. In addition, half the songs on this 1995 album are vocals and half are instrumentals, offering mellow music with gorgeous harmonies and creative slack key guitar arrangements. Recording in multiple tracks, Hapa intensifies and adds depth to its vocal harmonies, on which Keli'i stars, using 12-string rhythm guitar and 6-string ki ho'alu guitar accompaniments, and, for color and emphasis, bass, harmonica, banjo, fiddle, guitar synthesizers, and even whistle. The intriguing instrumentals usually have composer Flanagan on lead guitar and Keli'i on nylon string rhythm guitar and 12-string rhythm guitar.

Vocal numbers celebrating the extinct volcano Haleakala, the plants of the sea, the fragrance of pikake, and the search for love (with two songs asking "where are you?") alternate with intriguing guitar instrumentals to create a soft, romantic, and moody CD without a harsh sound anywhere. "Ka uluwehi o ke kai," describing limu kohu on the rocks swaying in the ocean currents, has become a favorite hula song, while the other vocals have now entered the Hawaiian songbook as favorites.

Two of the most interesting songs are Flanagan's arrangement of John Lennon's "Oh, My Love," a plaintive arrangement on guitar which also includes stand-up bass, cello, violin, and viola, and "Ku'u lei awapuhi," a romantic ballad written by Emily Taylor and arranged by Flanagan, on which Big Island resident Kenny Loggins makes a surprise appearance, quietly providing the background vocals on all the choruses. Donating a portion of the proceeds of this album to a Hawaiian language immersion pre-school, Hapa hopes to help preserve the sounds of the Hawaiian language and its culture. Mellow, relaxing, moody music, Hapa's CD has some of Hawaii's best modern songs and slack key guitar instrumentals, all of which help to slow down the pace of life and gets listeners attuned to "Hawaii time." Mary Whipple

It's not often that I have the pleasure of coming across a piece of music that really grabs me from the first listen. This Hapa CD, their debut album, puts a huge smile on my face and peace in my mind no matter how many times I listen to it!

With most CD's, I have to listen to them a half dozen times before a few of the songs start to grow on me and I never really like the whole thing. From the first time I heard this Hapa CD, I was hypnotized by their beautiful Hawaiian instrumentals and lyrics!

My fiance and I love to visit Hawaii each year and we are getting married in Maui next month! This is the music we listen to when we get back to the mainland to keep the Hawaiian "Aloha" spirit alive all year round!

This is a must own if you like "quite-time" or inspirational music. I listen in the morning to "get going",and it's also great in bed to relax to the beat of Hawaii. I can almost hear the surf and see the fish when I listen.

You will love this disk!

I can tell you where I was when I first heard this cd, It had that kind of effect on me. I had just slipped into the back seat of my friend's car in Makiki and we were all going for breakfast. The song Lei Pikake started, Keli'i Ho'omalu Kaneali'i's voice filled the car and I was transfixed. I remained silent throughout the entire song and as soon as the last note drifted away, I immediately grilled my friend. "Who was that? Where did you get that cd? Can we go now before breakfast and buy my copies? (3 copies, one for me, the other two for my Mom and brother on the mainland).

They do mad justice to slack key. Acck, it's hard to say which song is my favorite. From their renditions of traditional island songs to the last track on the cd, Oh My Love (written by John Lennon)all pretty incredible. Hapa has remained my favorite group. Listening to their music eases my homesickness. If you ever get a chance to see them in concert don't hesitate. They usually play intimate settings, you'll get chicken skin all night. I can't imagine anyone who loves Hawai'i not loving Hapa as well.

As one who lived in Hawaii for a few years and who grew to love Hawaiian music back in the late '60s (with Gabby, Eddie Kamae, even Bill Kaiwa), I was overwhelmed by this album. This is a truly classic, outstanding album of Hawaiian music, and one of my favorite albums, of any sort and of all time. Despite endless repetition, I never grow tired of listening to it on long plane or car trips. Unfortunately, Hapa's subsequent albums didn't reach the level of this one, but few could. Between Hapa and some of my favorite Olomana albums, as well as Iz, I am quite content (If you haven't heard Olomana, including such songs as "Light in the Lady's Eyes", you've missed an incredible experience).

My wife an I encountered this CD on our honeymoon in Hawaii in '97. We bought the tape and drove it to Hana and everywhere else. It was our theme music for the trip. Not only does it bring back great memories of our trip, it is still great music. Judging by the other reviews, we're no alone. We have the other HAPA CD's but this is still the best. Just great stuff. Since we are also fans of Kenny Loggins, we recently picked up More Songs from Pooh Corner. Wouldn't you know Kenny does a duet with HAPA. It sounds fantastic. A blend of two of our favorites artists.

This beautiful CD is a compilation of songs dedicated to an Eden that is beyond reach. The sound of HAPA is low and rich with a cadence that reminds one of waves and a big, beefy handsome local guy singing on the beach with his friends. This is not the cheesy Don Ho sound that we have all heard on the Love Boat, this is a unique sound of indigenous Hawaiian music mixed with Western influences that they have taken on and transformed. The more this CD is played, the more addictive it becomes.

My husband and I love HAPA! We never tire of this album. The music is intoxicating. Highly recommended!