It’s hard to say if Jawaiian music has run its course or people back home are just bored. Regardless of how good or bad these albums are, a good amount of Jawaiian music still reminds me of home, but with with every other release, it seems that bands are somewhat stuck in their holes.
Case in point: The Green. They play roots reggae so that’s always a good thing, but this would have been perfect in 1980. I love old school reggae, and most Jawaiian music gets inspiration from Bob Marley and little else. Even when they try to geev’em, the songs on this CD (SheeHandsomeDevil) about love and relationships still sound like intermediate school scribbles, which sadly has been something Hawaiian artists have struggled with when trying to create pop music. It’s as if all I’m hearing is one variation of another of the Donny & Marie method. A song like “Dearest Sylvia” is about one man’s love for his lady, and I would have liked it if it went deeper than the surface. I’m not speaking of being explicit, not at all, but it’s as if they’re running around in circles and aren’t sure what to write. How to compensate? Speak in a Jamaican patois? Stop already.
What was good about this album is the musicianship from the band (Ikaika Antone on keyboards and guitars, Zion Thompson on guitar and percussion, JF Kennedy on guitar and bass), and vocalist Caleb Keolanui does a decent job at what he does. Bring in Kimie Miner, who sings lead on “How Does It Feel”, and it adds a great element to their developing sound.
To sum it up: decent singing, nice instrumentation, all-too-ordinary songs. To their credit, not a lot of people write this way anymore so even if it feels like innocent “puppy love” songs, it’s something that is not raw or nasty. But one doesn’t have to get raw or nasty to write decent songs today. Perhaps they can develop better songwriting ideas and concepts for their next album, or bring in a songwriter who can write or help them with new material. What is a plus is the production from Wendall Ching, and the artwork by Kamea Hadar is sure to get him a lot of work, I look forward to seeing what else he does. As for The Green, this CD sounds a very polished demo, and I hope they’ll be able to make a few adjustments in the lyrical department.
This Is Book's Music 