MELE 'AILANA • island music

The men behind Pali's latest release are, from left, Kaleo Van Titcomb, Brad Kawakami, Pali Ka'aihue, Ken Lykes and Mark Kawakami. – Photo: Courtesy of Pali

Local style

By Francine Murray / Ka Wai Ola

Tūtū's broke da mouth beef stew was a family favorite. We all had the recipe, but no one could make it as good as the original. What's missing, Tūtū? Why doesn't it taste the same? She replied, you have to make it with love. When you love what you do, it shows. And it shows in Pali Ka'aihue's new CD, …With Aloha.

It's a double scoop, the new CD plus a full-sized bonus disc featuring the best of Pali, hana hou selections collected from their previous recordings. Two for the price of one, he calls this album his "economic stimulus music package." It stimulates your heart, body and soul, making you want to hula or at least sway, toes tapping to the beat.

Fully loaded, the two discs feature a whopping 25 songs. Kick up your heels, the first disc is a baker's dozen of the group's most requested songs starting with a festive rendition of the cowboy hula, " 'Ulupalakua" by John Pi'ilani Watkins, a 2009 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Lifetime Achievement Award winner.

Look for originals too, like the chicken-skin "Mana," an instrumental introduction by Ka'aihue, flows smoothly into the traditional "Kāwika" with a tight 'ukulele riff solo. Sunday Mānoa has been an inspiration to Ka'aihue, who says he has great respect for Peter Moon.

Another first is "Keli'i Slack Key," which Ka'aihue wrote for a childhood friend. If you feel the motion of the ocean in its pulse, the song is about the waves and surf they boogie boarded in as keiki. Speaking of good fun, "Ka Uluwehi O Ke Kai" by Edith Kanaka'ole, is playfully fun hula music. "He ho'oheno ke 'ike aku", such a delight to see – but are the dancers picking seaweed or are they picking new sweethearts? That's kaona.

Ka'aihue said, "A lot of Okinawan songs have so much imagery, alternate meanings, it mirrors Hawaiian mele, and I had to include it in here." "Shima Uta" is an Okinawan song on the album.

With international appeal, this band rocks. The genius on the harmonica, Mark Kawakami, also sings and does percussion, Bradley Kawakami plays guitar, Kaleo Van Titcomb plays bass and 'ukulele and Ken Lykes plays keyboard and piano.