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2.0 out of 5 stars
Theme Park Music, September 28, 2007
This review is from: TOGETHER AS ONE (Audio CD)
So, as the title of my review states, this Opihi Pickers album sounds like it could be heard at any Six Flags Amusement Park across America. Now, that could potentially be a total compliment, considering that this is a Hawaiian band playing many cool Hawaiian standards... AND considering that Hawaiian revues in tiki bars or theme parks used to be incidentally cool in their unpretentious naivete. This however does not fit that mold.
I must give them one tip of the hat -- the song selection here is excellent for more than half the tunes. That said, the Opihi Pickers pretty much desecrate every good song they handle, most noticably on Melvin Paoa's surfside classic "Waikiki Chickadee." I'm sorry, but these guys have to get a little hair on their balls. The singing makes me think they've never heard a soul record in their lives. And, well, as a Mitch Miller fan myself I could handle it, if it weren't for the ultra-slick production going on here, plus the sappy religious numbers. Even at their most playful, the Opihi Pickers aren't very playful or fun, and when Hawaiian music becomes a part of New Age music, or worse, when it becomes like a sort of Contemporary Christian music, it's like... what's the frickin' point? Doubtful songs like "Proud Grandson" or "Our Love Is Divine" even need description.
My advice is to pass on this clunker. If you want some good contemporary Hawaiian guitar that is not overwrought with sentimentality and slick production values, might I suggest Manny K. Fernandez? Or how 'bout the Moonlighters? Yeah, get in there for the real stuff.
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