‘Mana Maoli’
Various artists
(Mana Maoli)
Mana Maoli, a community-based cultural organization, continues its series of fundraising recording projects with this two-disc compilation.
The first disc, titled "Volume IV: This Is Maoli Music," contains 21 tracks, including one on which a spokeswoman describes the group’s programs and the importance of increased funding for Hawaiian charter schools. The second disc, "Volume V: Hui Na Moku," contains 17 music tracks and a "bonus" music video. Add a beautifully illustrated 22-page liner notes booklet and this Mana Maoli fundraiser is first class in all respects.
The first impression is that there is a lot more Jawaiian than Hawaiian going on. Jamaican rhythms propel many of the arrangements, several singers indulge in cliche faux-Rasta accents, and most of the spiritual references are in Rastafarian terminology. Keep listening, however, and there is much more depth. Some of the songs with Jamaican rhythms are contemporary hapa-haole compositions on topics such as the harm caused by polluted rainwater runoff or "the rising tide of foreign invasion."
In a welcome step forward, some of them have Hawaiian lyrics as well as English.
On the other hand, a Jawaiian remake of the Bee Gees hit "Too Much Heaven" is an artistic miscue despite partial translation of the lyrics into Hawaiian. The best that can be said about it is that Barry Gibb and his brothers’ heirs will appreciate the composer royalties they’ll receive for it.
Hawaiian musical traditions are honored with an acoustic medley — "Ikona"/"Sweet Nahiku" — by Kekoa Kane and Stan Tibayan. Piano is the dominant instrument as veteran songwriter Liko Martin teams up with Kelea Levy on "Love Letters," a gentle pop tune with nationalist undercurrents.
Ska is represented with "Dancin’ Shoes," an original written and sung by Sistah Roz and Jason "Bison" Friedmann. The mood changes again with the somnambulant blend of "dubstep" and acid house music heard in "Muzik." That song’s writers-performers — Sistah Roz, AmenRaw, Lady Paisley and Seph1 — share credit for one of the project’s highlight tracks.
www.manamaolicom
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