REVIEW BY JOHN BERGER / jberger@staradvtiser.com
‘For All Generations’
Nicholas Jon Navales (Kauakoko Foundation)
Nicholas Jon Navales’ solo debut album builds upon an impressive resume that already includes hula, growing native Hawaiian plants and studying traditional cultural practices in addition to being a member of popular local reggae group Ooklah the Moc.
Almost every song is an original co-written with his wife, Kuki Kaiwi Navales, those by other writers describe places that are significant to their family. Navales sings many of them in a clear clean Hawaiian falsetto and accompanies himself on guitar, ukulele and Hawaiian percussion instruments.
Working behind him is an assortment of talented island musicians — Casey Olsen, Glen Smith, Michael Casupang and Ryan “Jah Gumby” Murakami, to name four.
Navales gets things off to a swinging start with a rollicking original, “Kono Wau Ia ‘Oe,” that has Reggie Padilla sitting in on sax; Padilla’s work evokes memories of the Territorial Era. Two songs later, “Ahulili” is a delightful demonstration of his falsetto range.
Navales dips into a slightly lower register on “Na Kumuola,” a song co-written with Casupang that was inspired by a photo shoot for the CD. His confident lower-register voice makes “Ka‘ahumanu Ali‘i” another stand-out number.
Other originals stand out for various reasons. There’s “Na‘u ‘Oe,” where Navales shares the vocalizing with his wife while Olsen’s steel guitar shimmers behind them. And then there’s a hapa haole song, “‘Oni‘oni E,” written for an elementary school May Day show, that shows his potential as an educator.
Navales shares the Hawaiian lyrics of his songs in a beautifully illustrated liner notes booklet. He plans to post the English translations at www.halauikawekiu.com.
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John Berger has been a mainstay in the local entertainment scene for more than 40 years. Contact him via email at jberger@stardvertiser.com.