Kapono Beamer "Slack Key Dreams of the Ponomoe"

While Kapono Beamer has often been overshadowed by his more famous older brother Keola, he is an equally talented guitar player and musician. After the break up of the group The Beamer Brothers, Kapono released a series of award winning and fairly successful instrumental albums. Unlike Keola, however, Kapono remained largely out of the spotlight and appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, with a new album every three to five years.

"Slack Key Dreams of the Ponomoe" released in 2005 is Kapono's last album to date and was nominated for that years Hawaiian Music Grammy. Kapono plays nearly every instrument on the album, aside from drums (Noel Okimoto) and Bass (Dean Taba). The album expands on Kapono's instrumental prowess that he displayed on earlier albums like "Paradise Found" and "Pana Aloha" and he again creates excellent atmospheric sound-scapes. He also for the first time in a decade writes new lyric songs that harken back to his 1970s heyday. Kapono has never had a very strong or distinctive voice but he crafts songs that play up his vocal strengths. This is Kapono's most accessible album to date and also his most creative, it is soothing and innovative. This is the recommended album from his catalog and will surely please fans of modern slack key music. Here's hoping that Kapono will come out with a new album soon that expands on this ones excellence.

Keola and Kapono Beamer "Honolulu City Lights"

Considered by many to be the Greatest Hawaiian Music Album ever made. Honolulu Magazine listed it as number one on their "50 Greatest Hawaii Albums of all Time." While I don't put the album as number one I do think it is one of the top ten best Hawaiian albums.

Released in 1978 "Honolulu City Lights" was an immediate success and catapulted the Beamer Brothers from famous to superstars. The album, and three songs in particular, have become linked to Hawaii's cultural mindset. The title track is still played to this day at numerous occasions and has a timeless quality. The idea of leaving a place but not really wanting to go is a universal theme that is captured in this excellent song. "Only Good Times" is another nostalgic look at better days that became a staple of High School Graduations in Hawaii. "Kaliponi Slack Key" has become the Channel 2 news theme which is played every night over the end credits accompanying images of island residents doing the shaka. The Beamers effortlessly mixe traditional Hawaii songs and motifs like "Kamakani Ka Ili Aloha" with blissful pop "Love you all the Time" throughout the record, mixing traditional Hawaii instruments and Hawaiian Slack Key music stylings with a string orchestra and grand piano. All the elements blend perfectly to make a thoroughly enjoyable listening experience. Produced by 60s crooner Teddy Randazzo and Disc Jockey Tom Moffatt who add a professional and sleek feel to the proceedings. It is certainly one of the best Hawaiian albums and definitely the best the Keola and Kapono's career together, this is also one of the few albums that are still available from the pair, a must for any fan of Hawaiian Music and particularly those who enjoy 1970s style Hawaiian music.