Posted on: Friday, February 23, 2007
ISLAND SOUNDS
Mellow out with Edgewater's latest CD
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
Say hello to "MelloYello" by Edgewater, bubbling with wondrous melodies from singer-composer-producer Denny Miyasato. His stash of love songs deserves to be heard — and applauded.
Singer-guitarist Alden Tokuzato's CD debut is an auspicious one; he's versatile, soaring in jazz, contemporary and world music genre.
And Manny K. Fernandez's passion for hapa-haole and contemporary Hawaiian tunes originates from his Pacific Northwest base.
"MelloYello" by Edgewater; 7ATE9 Records
Genre: Adult contemporary.
Distinguishing notes: As leader and writer-composer of all of the music here, Denny Miyasato hurls his group Edgewater into the mainstream with a dozen-plus originals that explore the many facets of love and romance. The melodies and the lyrics have rock-score, even show-musical, quality, with potential to create a buzz and life beyond this CD.
There isn't a bad cut. "I Don't Know Why," "Dreams Come True," "Take From Me," "This Dance" and "Forever in My Heart" have solid credentials — they tell a story, they move the spirit, they linger in the memory — that clearly warrant wide attention beyond the Islands.
Edgewater's four-member rank is embellished for this session; Miyasato sings vocal leads (with Sunway as a guest singer) and Wendell Ching (his co-producer) mans drums, with considerable support from a handful of guitarists, bassists and a keyboardist. The sound is precise, crisp and wisely unobtrusive to the basic sweetness and simplicity of the melodies. Happily, liner lyrics allow you to see the breadth of Miyasato's lyricism.
Our take: Miyasato establishes himself as a true poet with skills to make the heart throb and the hair on your arms to stand up. "MelloYello" is a revelation — and cause for celebration.
"Kaimana Hila" by Alden Tokuzato; Margodog Records
Genre: Contemporary Hawaiian, jazz, world music.
Distinguishing notes: Alden Tokuzato, of the Waikane Store 'ohana, offers a self-produced labor of love in which he sashays from jazz to contemporary Hawaiian, from vocals to instrumentals. Tokuzato personalizes "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight," "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Kaimana Hila" as vocals while still showcasing his guitar pluckings. The accent's clearly on a jazz idiom on "Fly Me to the Moon," and "What a Wonderful World" posits a reflective and romantic air. And "Wai Oke Ani Ani" and "Noho Pai Pai" are sweetly Hawaiian, with a backyard spontaneity.
Overall, Tokuzato's style is gentle and nostalgic, with ballads projecting a nocturnal glow.
Our take: The various musical postures, while reflective of diversity, could dilute Tokuzato's audience.
"Hawaiian Memories" by Manny K. Fernandez; PekeKini Records
Genre: Hapa-haole and contemporary Hawaiian.
Distinguishing notes: Manny K. Fernandez, former Honolulan, has been performing Island music in the Pacific Northwest for decades. His new CD assembles two dozen familiar tunes, reflecting his passion and his take — that you can take the boy out of Hawai'i but not take Hawai'i out of him. Pick any tune — "Haleiwa Hula," "Pauoa Liko Kalehua," "Waimea Cowboy," "Mi Nei," "The Hawaiian and Me" — and he captures the aloha spirit. He offers two versions of the Hawaiian wedding song (the English is retitled "This Is the Moment," the Hawaiian "Ke Kali Nei Au"); plus gone-but-not-forgotten entries such as "Waikiki Chickadee." You're bound to find something personally savory.
Our take: The whole procession is as fragrant as a yellow ginger lei.
Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Sample song: "Take From Me" by Edgewater