"Keli'i Kaneali'i returns to Music with his debut solo album"Keli'i Kaneali'i rose to fame in the early 1990's along with Barry Flanagan as the duo named HAPA. They were one of the most popular and successful Hawaiian Music groups of the decade with a string of hit albums. The pair went their separate ways in 1999 after the release of the album "Namahana." Flanagan reformed HAPA with Nathan Aweau and continued the group's success with 2005's hit album "Maui."
Kaneali'i on the other hand decided to perform only occasionally in various small restaurant settings and by 2008 he had all but disappeared from Hawaii's music scene.
And now Kaneali'i returns in 2009 appearing with Amy Hanaiali'i on the CD featured with the popular children's book "A President From Hawaii." Released right around the same time is his debut solo album "Kaua'i."
The album is well produced and Kaneali'i's familiar voice has not aged a bit, he still sounds excellent. As the, very brief, liner notes indicate this album was a labor of love for Kaneali'i and his passion shows in every song. There is also a strong feel for time and place while listening to the songs on this album I felt transported to the green and dusty back roads of the Garden Isle. Yet despite those strong aspects the album is a rather sleepy affair. Five of the ten songs are covers of familiar tunes like "Kimo Hula" and "He Hawai'i Au" none veer to far from their original incarnations. The other five songs are originals of which the best is "Me Kou Nani E." The songs are all very soothing and performed in very simple and straight forward arrangements. Anyone expecting the innovation of HAPA will be disappointed. Overall the album is fine but it is not likely to return Kaneali'i to Hawaiian Music popularity since none of the songs are really catchy or pop oriented. Like I said earlier this album is a labor of love and maybe Kaneali'i just enjoyed making the album.
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