Hawaii: Slide And Slack Key Surfing Sounds CD - Import

This is an enhanced audio CD which contains regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.

To sum up the history of Hawaiian music from the last hundred years in one CD is a rather ambitious undertaking. This album goes back and forth from contemporary Hawaiian slack key guitar to 1920s steel guitar pop to traditional vocal styles with contemporary arrangements. But it is at times rather disjointed; a chronological approach would have been better so listeners could hear how the sounds have evolved. Beyond this, the recordings are high quality and feature such artists as Cyril Pahinui and Sol Hoopii. Also, the liner notes provide short biographies of all the artists making this album a good starting point, but not the be all and end all of Hawaiian musical history. ~ Curtis Zimmermann

This is part of World Music Network's Rough Guide Series.

Includes liner notes by Paul Fisher.