Rating:
Genre:
World
Release Date: 11/14/2006
Despite the
George Harrison title (and the song itself within), the vast majority of this album is original work from
Ried Kapo Ku. The album opens with an excellent cover of
Harrison's classic, given a slight touch of Hawaii in the process. Following this, the mix turns to a more distinctly Hawaiian sound, ranging from the bouncing romp of
"No Ka Kimo Kika" to the English balladry of
"Waipi'o Going Home" to the
rock-influenced sound of
"Kuonopohakua'ia'i." Kapo Ku's range in compositional ability is outstanding, evidenced repeatedly by the change in sound from song to song while keeping the overarching mood and feel of the music constant. The performances from all the musicians are fine, continually serving the songs rather than taking the spotlight away from
Kapo Ku's vocals. This is an example of contemporary Hawaiian music that hasn't gone in the direction of Jawaiian or
hip-hop, or simply updated the instrumentation on old songs. This is contemporary music made by a Hawaiian, largely in the Hawaiian language. This is the type of music that really makes a
traditional genre contemporary.
~Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide