I can't pretend to know the Hawai'ian islands to the degree that singer Israel Kamakawiwoʻole did, but after a short couple of months spent working on the small island of Moloka'i I like to think I understand a little bit of the appeal of that tropical chain. While reggae music seems to have been a relatively small but significant subgenre here in the US's pop music scene, world music (and especially island music) has always been an understandably underground affair with few mainstream advocates - Peter Gabriel is the only one who comes to mind. The music of Isreal Kamakawiwoʻole, unquestionably the most celebrated Hawai'ian musician of his time, was able to leap over the cultural divide and find crossover success in the mainland thanks to the resonance of his 1990 single "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World", heard in film and TV soundtracks throughout the world ever since. While that single and it's 1993 containing album Facing Future earned him his biggest success, Isreal's debut album released in 1990, Ka 'Ano'i, has fallen into the shadow caused by his more eagerly received later releases.
Encapsulating a breadth of genres, Ka 'Ano'i effortlessly slips between old-time folk/island/reggae standards and traditional Hawai'ian pieces with equivalent ease. Bouncy opener "Margarita" sets the tone for the rest of the disc as follow-up "Coney Island Washboard Woman" clues you in to Isreal's sense of humor, before his gorgeous vocals and lazy ukelele playing provide a brilliant counterpoint in slower tracks like the etheral "Kainoa" and the excellently sleepy cover of "You Don't Know Me". Traditional Hawai'ian folk numbers fill out the rest of the record's modest 33 minute runtime, the strongest being the lilting "Ka Na‘i Aupuni" while Iz's best-known recording appears in an early prototype form to round out the package. While he is supported by a competent backing band, the strongest tracks on Ka 'Ano'i are the ones with just Iz and his ukelele, especially as some of the more over-produced and cheesy electronic instrumentation creeps in on "Men Who Ride Mountains" and "Sea of Love" to detract from the simple brilliance of Kamakawiwoʻole's vocal talents. The production throughout is warm and intimate and the whole thing is honestly just a simple joy to listen to.
Even if you don't recognize his name, you almost certainly will recognize at least one of these songs and will have a tough time not enjoying your time with the other excellent material found on Ka 'Ano'i.
No comments:
Post a Comment