Stories — Track

Audy (Audwin) Kimura's "Summer" is simply beautiful, despite its aural complexity. Even with the strings, keys, percussion and guitars floating around, the song remains melodic and unpretentious from start to finish. I especially love when the electric piano or the guitar riffs at just the right moment, jumping out at you. It adds to the melody and accents Audy's soothing voice. (By the way, "Audwin" is such a cool name!) Almost incomparable in its mellowness, "Summer" could very well be the epitome of the laid-back vibes of Hawaii. I can close my eyes and imagine a handful of examples. Cruising...

"I am Hawaiian, I'm all that's left / I am the son of the sea and the surf This land was my land, I shared with friends / Now it is their land, and I pay rent..." Vic Malo's politically-charged "Ode to Waiahole & Waikane Valley" is filled with clever criticism, taking stabs at so-called "progress" and alluding to the Woody Guthrie track, "This Land is Your Land". (Did Vic know about the uncovered verses when he wrote this song?) "I pay to see a waterfall But there's no water—none at all They're gonna tax the sun I hear them...

The song "Countryside Beauty" has been on repeat for the past 24 hours, so it's evident that I'd be sharing this one with you today. There's something about the islands song that emanates the lush tropical smells and views of Hawaii... Today's a short post. Enjoy the video, I'll have more on Tender Leaf in the future. Listen to the wind blow, listen to the birds sing out loud And it's that time again for us to fall in love Well, it's a beautiful morning, think i will go outside It's a beautiful morning, think I will take a ride,...

That DJ Muro tracklist is nearly complete, aside from information like label, year, album title. But one thing's now definite: DJ & the Spice of Life are responsible for "Blue Moon". I came across Tell Me Once More on eBay a while ago, saw the songs listed and immediately knew this was the band whose Rodgers & Hart cover was included in DJ Muro's mix. But I needed absolute proof, so I picked up a copy*. Notice how their outfits are coordinated? The guys on the end wear vests, the middle men white shirts, and D.J. Oshiro is the only...

I started ALOHA GOT SOUL out of a passion for this music. Every album I blog about is not in my record collection, and I don't have a library of knowledge stored in my head either. I'm here because I want to learn more, discover great music and share what I find. In the future I'll own these records if I'm lucky to come across them! Which brings me to the album Lui, by Maui guitarist Lui Williams. What the full album sounds like is a mystery to me. So far I've come across two snippets: "My Lover" and "Oh,...