Posted on: Sunday, April 23, 2006
ISLAND SOUNDS
'Lyrics From My Heart' solo debut for Maui songstress
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
Lei is a Maui trouper who has performed here and abroad — but finally is making her CD debut here.
Two compilations of post-wartime Japanese tunes recall an era of rebirth and recovery for Japanese-Americans — and provide reflection for gaijin (non-Japanese) who remember and adore this genre of music.
"LYRICS FROM MY HEART" BY LEI; POLY TRI RECORDS
Genre: Reggae, world music.
Distinguishing notes: Lei (she uses her surname, Keli'iliki, only in co-composing credits with Shaneymon) is a seasoned entertainer on a Pacific circuit that includes Maui, New Zealand, Australia, San Francisco and Las Vegas. She's been featured on a compilation CD, but this is her solo debut. That would have made her late grandmother, Myra English, proud, despite the fact that her genre of choice is not Hawaiian music. Lei has a distinctive voice that embraces her words with seductive ease; and while there's a backbeat that puts this in the reggae or Island rhythm class (inspect "Miss Manipulater"), there are elements of blues and soul in her endeavors. "If I Am Not Yours" and "I Know About You" are great starting points to examine her many charms.
The outlook: Could use some Honolulu support to get this Maui girl soaring.
Our take: Lei Day arrives a tad early this year — and bounces to a non-Hawaiian beat.
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"We Need Prayer" by Lei. Audio sample available in mp3 format. |
"SAYONARA: FAREWELL TOKYO" BY CLUB NISEI ORCHESTRA; HANAOLA RECORDS
Genre: Post-World War II Japanese music.
Distinguishing notes: If you remember the years after Pearl Harbor, this retrospective disc, with uncredited vocals by the Club Nisei Orchestra 'ohana, will bring back memories. It was an era when Japanese melodies flourished, inspiring local versions of Nippon hits, heard on radio, played on scratchy 78 rpm discs and performed in love stage shows or at tea house celebrations. While the genre was largely supported by Americans of Japanese ancestry, the gaijin — foreigners, or non-Japanese — also took interest. Mostly, these tunes expressed rebirth and recovery in the 1950s after a life-changing war a decade earlier and helped survivors revisit their roots. Big band, Latin and other influences infiltrated such classics as "Tokyo Boogie Woogie," "Shina No Yoru," "Japanese Rhumba," "Doyobi No Yoru" and "Ginza Kan Kan Musume." Some other melodies — "Tanko Bushi" — still are performed largely at summertime bon dances. These tracks were derived from original 49th State Hawai'i recordings, their monaural sound restored and remastered. Unfortunately, more specific details about performing credits and song histories are not part of the repackaging; lyrics might have rekindled additional memories and trigger karaoke singing.
The outlook: These tunes defined your grandparents' and parents' soundtracks of life after a tense war.
Our take: Mostly for those who lived the music, but a dandy aural retrospective with cultural and historical implications.
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"Tokyo Boogie Woogie" by Sayonara Farewell Tokyo. Audio sample available in mp3 format. |
"MODERN SONGS OF JAPAN" BY THE CLUB NISEI ORCHESTRA; HANAOLA RECORDS
Genre: Post-World War II Japanese music.
Distinguishing notes: A companion disc, derived from the same resources from yesteryear, assembles "Ringo Oiwake," "Otomi-San," "Wakare No Isochidori," "Hibari No Madorosu-San" and "Ina No Koi Uta." Even an English-lyric "Gomen Nasai (I'm Sorry)," with a temperate Latin beat and a love ballad that typified hits of era in "Musume Sendo-San." Again, there are no full credits or lyrics to shed light on a precious segment of growing up in Hawai'i following WWII.
The outlook: Elders will remember the tunes.
Our take: A worthy resource for future generations to examine.
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"Ringo No Hana Wa Saita Kedo" by Modern Songs of Japan. Audio sample available in mp3 format. |
Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.
