“Travels”
Jake Shimabukuro
(Hitchhike)

Jake Shimabukuro’s newest album starts off in a familiar mode with a solo instrumental tune titled “Departure Suite — Part 1.” But among the 16 tracks that follow,  there are many surprises.

The biggest surprise is probably his uptempo remake of “Low Rider,” one of the best-known hits by WAR in the 1970s. Shimabukuro plays an electric ukulele on it as well as a conventional acoustic instrument. He also does an extremely rare turn as a vocalist. Dean Taba (bass), Noel Okimoto (drums/percussion), Michael Grande (keyboards) and Jeff Richmond (guitar) join him on an imaginative reworking of a classic Top 10 hit.

Shimabukuro’s solo rendition of “Hi‘ilawe” is noteworthy twice over. First, because it is one of two traditional Hawaiian songs on the album. Second, because he plays it on a larger baritone ukulele instead of his standard tenor instrument. The different textures make it a standout song in a beautiful collection.

And there’s “Everything Is Better With You,” an original that is presented here as a showcase for his longtime friends Bryan Tolentino, Chris Kamaka, Del Beazley and Asa Young — aka the Side Order Band. They play and sing; he sits in as the fifth member of their group. The results are the most divergent of anything on the album, but the song is still a soothing intermission amid the instrumentals. Shimabukuro will always be known as one of Hawaii’s great ukulele players, but this song shows that he can also write for other artists.

Visit jakeshimabukuro.com.

“Kapena 30”
Kapena
(KDE)

The founding members of Kapena — Kelly “Kelly Boy” De Lima, Timo Tatofi and Tiva Tatofi — are celebrating the group’s 30th anniversary with a series of “One Last Hana Hou” concerts and this double-disc CD anthology. “Kapena 30” contains 30 songs , one new, and 29 of them vintage recordings culled from previous releases and remastered for this commemorative anthology.

Many of them remind us of the original trio’s importance to the rise of Jawaiian music in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Other selections show their consistent interest in Top 40 oldies, country hits, Hawaiian standards, the music of Oceania (Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and Tahiti) and old-time tear-jerkers like “Nobody’s Child” and “I’ll Build You a Rainbow.”

Liner notes by each member of the trio, and some pictures from the early days, help put the music in context.

Composers’ credits are not provided for the first 29 songs, but the 30th song is a new one. “Til The Sun Comes Up” is a group project assembled by Kelly, Timo and Tiva with input from Bo Napoleon and Kapena’s Kids (Josh Tatofi, Dustin Park and Kalena, Lilo and Kapena De Lima). The lyrics are autobiographical in tone — Kapena’s equivalent of Cecilio & Kapono’s self-retrospective 1988 hit, “Goodtimes Together.” It is described as “the last original Kapena song.”

“Kapena 30” is available at the “One Last Hana Hou” concerts. Visit Kapena.com.

“Manookalanipo Kaua‘i (Music of the Hawaiian Islands Vol. 4)”
Kuana Torres Kahele
(Kahele)

On track and on budget! The fourth album in Kuana Torres Kahele’s unprecedented “Music of the Hawaiian Islands” series is here on schedule almost exactly six months after the third. Kahele made a commitment in 2014 to record and release six full-length albums — each one a collection of new songs about a different Hawaiian island — over a three-year period. The first two were released six months apart in 2014. Two more are due in 2016. In the meantime, “Manookalanipo,” honoring the island of Kauai, maintains the high standards set by its predecessors.

In 11 new Hawaiian-language compositions, Kahele celebrates some of the beautiful places and special people of Kauai. “Lei Wili a ke Aloha” describes the two lei traditionally associated with the Garden Island. “Nani Koloa” expresses his hope that residents and visitors alike will take responsibility for maintaining the natural beauty of a popular visitor destination. “Lei Moa‘ulahiwa” is a whimsical tribute to the feral chickens  that “rule the roost on Kaua‘i” and whose feathers can be crafted into treasured lei hulu (feather lei).

As with the previous albums in the series, Kahele sings all the vocal parts, falsetto and lower-register, and is the primary musician (on ukulele, guitar, acoustic bass and ipu). Casey Olsen returns once again as his steel guitarist; Imua Garza (guitar) and Zachary Lum (piano) complete the studio group.

A liner notes fold-out with the Hawaiian lyrics, basic English translations and background information completes this beautiful album.

Visit napalapalaimusic.com.