In truth, to a European living on mainland USA, Honey Boy is not an easy album to listen to, at least initially. Hawaiian vocal styles don’t always follow the patterns I’m used to; 12 of the 15 tracks are in Hawaiian without translations; and Kekuhi’s stylistic approach to music varies from song to song: traditional going into contemporary and on to chanting, good-time blues, and more. But in many ways, this diversity is where the strength and beauty of the album lies. It is an album that shouldn’t be ignored.
Kekuhi Kanahele comes from a long line of noted hula dancers and is regarded as a fine performer who began her hula and oral training at age seven. This is her third album, 45 minutes in length and very much a collaboration with a close-knit group of musicians.
The first thing that strikes me is the chanting. She has a cutting voice which demands attention, deep and rasping, yet with an unexpected melodic quality. Her husband Kaipo Frias (who also sings, adds percussion and co-produced the album with Kekuhi) comes to the fore on two beautiful tracks with his trembling tenor chant, hypnotic and powerful.
Opening with a spoken passage to a guitar accompaniment, Kekuhi bursts into song, demonstrating her wide range, with “Ka Uluwehi O Ki Kai”, a song written by her grandmother, the legendary Edith Kanaka’ole. Yet for all the wildness and abandon of that performance, she follows it with a delicate interpretation of “‘O Mohalu ‘Oe”, accompanied by a finger-picked guitar which then rolls into the break Spanish style: Kekuhi is really interested in the many facets of Hawaiian music.
From up-tempo to soft to chant, the album moves through a fascinating landscape. “Latitu”, with its ‘typical’ Hawaiian harmony line and backup vocal, to the near-slack key “Kauhale O Kamapua’a”, to the bluesy title track, each song seems to visit a new place. Yet Kekuhi provides a strong unifying sound with her rich vocals and ukulele playing. This is far from a disjointed album — in fact, its attraction is enhanced by its variety.
She is accompanied by long-time collaborators Sean Naleimaile on bass (solid and strong throughout and really excelling on “‘O Mohalu ‘Oe” with his melodic approach), guitarist and singer Melelani Spencer, Likeke Teanio on lead guitar, vocals and nose flute, as well as Frias. Jennifer Perry adds piano on a couple of tracks and Kano’eau Noguchi provides percussion.
Along with a handful of chanter/backup singers, these musicians provide a perfect setting for Kekuhi to excel. And excel she does. The album may take a number of plays to get under the skin of non-islanders unused to the nuances and intricacies of music from Hawaii, but it is well worth the time spent.
If there is a fault, then it is a small one. It’s a pity that the lyrics in the liner notes are written only in Hawaiian (difficult for folk such as me to follow, especially as the vocalists tend to use an unexpected dialect where the written ‘k’ is pronounced in the old fashion, more like a ‘t’). I’m certainly moved by her singing, and tears, smiles and other responses occur at the appropriate places (at least, I hope they’re appropriate). But I would really love to understand what Kekuhi is actually singing, or at least have an idea whether I’m listening to a song about the spirit, love, a place or whatever.
Having said that, it is pleasing to note that not all lyrics nowadays have to be performed and noted in English to reach a larger audience. Hawaiian appears to be alive and well.
Music from Hawaii is becoming better known on the mainland through the songs of performers like Israel IZ Kamakawiwo’ole appearing on film and in TV programs, with concerts such as the annual slack key tour attracting much attention, and with labels such as Mountain Apple and Dancing Cat releasing top quality albums to a wider audience. Kekuhi and Honey-Boy deserve a wide audience — she presents a true spirit of Hawaii on this album in a highly entertaining and moving way.