Bilyeu strong in
expression of his faith
Revelations: By Malani Bilyeu (Quiet Storm)
MALANI Bilyeu's third religious album is his best yet. It's the front-runner for Hoku honors in 1998. He didn't write all the songs this time, but one of his originals, "Saved By The Power," is excellent. It's catchy, simply taken as a song -- and a perfect testament of Christian faith.
Bilyeu's interest in rural Anglo-American musical traditions goes back at least 20 years to "Girl," which he wrote for Kalapana III. He explores those traditions with some songs here but doesn't plagiarize them. He uses modern electronics with equal skill. Local Christian recordings don't come better than this!
What Love Has Joined Together: Rachel Asebido (kok Records)RACHEL Asebido has been a member of Kaleo O Kalani for years but this 1988 release presented her as a solo artist while she and KOK were part of Ken Kahanu Post's Kahanu Records. The other KOK members played on the album; in material and style it's KOK's usual excessive use of synthetic substitutes for live instruments.
Asebido's beautiful voice brightens generic local pop copies of Top 40 hits . R&B and uptempo rock don't seem her forte but she soars through the 1974 Spanish hit, "Eres Tu (Touch The Wind)."
Listen to her "Over The Rainbow" and "Good Morning, Heartache" and it's clear Kaleo O Kalani is a step away from a landmark album. All they need is to escape their synthetic safety net.
Living in Parodies: The Muu Muus and the Pupus (Quiet Storm)
DENNIS and Becky Maltby Graue have just set a new standard for local song parodies.
Dennis has been a respected composer-arranger for 25 years,. His experience is heard in tracks more substantial than usual in local comedy albums.
Becky shines vocally on "Son Of Yellow Polka Dot" and "Like One Local," and sparkles dramatically in "Town or Ewa."
Dennis employs local dialects with skill. He uses pidgin for comic effect and spoofs haoles as well, but leaves generic stereotypes to others. His pidgin rap parody, "Try Wait," is imaginative. "Son of Yellow Polka Dot" also reflects his ear for dialects.
"Nuclear Power Plant" breaks the "parodies/paradise" format but is a fine piece of country comedy."
John Berger, who has covered the local entertainment scene since 1972, writes reviews of recordings produced by Hawaii artists. See the Star-Bulletin's Home Zone section on Fridays for the latest reviews.
See Record Reviews for some of John Berger's past reviews.
