24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A chip off da ole block, April 16, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Night Moon: Po Mahina (Audio CD)
Anyone who has discovered, and is collecting, Hawaiian slack key discs will certainly want to add this one to the shelf. I was introduced to this musical style by way of a cassette by Cyril's father Gabby--purchased at a gas station for playing in my rental car while on a trip to the big island. Perhaps more than any of the other Dancing Cat CDs in this series, this one evokes memories of Gabby, although with a much more polished style. Son Cyril even pays homage to his father by performing Hi'ilawe, probably Gabby's best known hit. The combination of vocals and instrumentals strikes a nice balance, there are no clunker tracks (meaning, for me, that all have Hawaiian lyrics and sound), and there is a good blend of old and new. Some of the tracks are rather dreamlike; this is mellow music, much more so than some of the Dancing Cat series. My other favorite contemporary slack key vocal/instrumental combo discs are "Ohana (Family)" by Dennis and David Kamakahi (which unfortunately includes a clunker track, "Around the World in 80 Days") and "Drenched by Music" by George Kahumoku. For an all-instrumental disc, try "The Gift" by Moses Kahumoku. For a real treat, delve into the earlier recordings by Gabby Pahinui and the Sons of Hawaii. They tend to be more upbeat, and the sound of a small band and multiple vocalists is a nice contrast to the slack key guitar soloists.
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