“Sweet Baby”
Stacie Ku‘ulei
Tin Idol Productions
Local vocalist and lyricist Stacie Ku‘ulei picked up a Na Hoku Hanohano Award last year for her Christmas single, “A Hawaiian Christmas.” The song is one of two tracks on her recently released third album that are likely to be familiar. The other is “For the Culture,” a mele ku‘e (song of resistance), which was released as the album’s lead single.
“For the Culture” is a worthy addition to the ever-growing list of modern mele ku‘e that stretches back to the early 1970s and the work of Liko Martin and John Kalani Lincoln, among others. Ku‘ulei sings and raps in angry commentary on the wrongs done to the Hawaiian nation in the last 150 years. She also offers lyrical images of an idealized nation moving forward united in pride. Many Hawaii residents will understand the phrases “aloha aina” (“love the land”), “malama pono” (“watch out!”) and “aloha pumehana” (“affection”). The other Hawaiian lyrics, and guest vocalist Sandy Essman’s chanting, will be understood only by Hawaiian speakers.
Ku‘ulei shares her love for the islands in nonpolitical terms with several songs.
One of them, “Come to the Islands,” would be a perfect theme song for a visitor industry ad campaign as it outlines the beauty of the Aloha State.
“Ave. of Waikiki” is a dramatic change of vibe. A funky bass beat powers Ku‘ulei’s account of an evening strolling the streets with her “girls” — Kalakaua, Lewers and Kuhio — on the way to a popular showroom. A second up-tempo song, “Hawai‘i Home Sweet Home,” captures the feelings of anyone from the islands who is somewhere else and wishes they were home.
Three remakes show her interest in the work of other songwriters. The first, “Sweet Baby,” is a straightforward pop treatment of the 1981 hit by George Duke and Stanley Clarke.
“Mokihana Lullabye,” written by Louis “Moon” Kauakahi and Loyal Garner, and first recorded by Garner in 1982, is nicely personalized. Ku‘ulei’s choice of a song with Hawaiian lyrics puts her Hawaiian pride front and center. However, the choice of that particular song has some kaona (hidden meaning). It isn’t mentioned in the liner notes, but Ku‘ulei was born and raised on Kauai, and the mokihana blossom is the official flower of the island.
The third remake is the Japanese song, “Yuki no Hana,” first recorded with great success by Japanese singer Mika Nakashima in 2003 and then by numerous other artists in Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese and English, as well as Japanese. Ku‘ulei sings the Japanese lyrics; they describe snowflakes poetically as “snow flowers” and express the romantic sentiments of lovers together and lovers apart.
Ku‘ulei’s album is noteworthy for another reason. Her writing partner is Gerard K. Gonsalves, the islands’ foremost promoter of metal music as a musician, record producer and record label founder. Gonsalves also plays most of the instruments here — drums, percussion, guitars and keyboards — and there isn’t the slightest hint of a metal influence.
The other studio musicians are Pete Crane (bass), Jimmy Caterine (guitars) and Tommy Moulton (sax). Guitarist Ben Taaca sits on one track; Essman sings on two.
To inquire about buying a physical CD, send a message to Ku‘ulei on her Facebook page, facebook.com/ stacie.kuulei. For more, visit linktr.ee/staciekuulei.
