" 'I" by Natalie Ai Kamauu; Keko Records

• Genre: Hawaiian.

• Distinguishing notes: Natalie Ai Kamauu, whose first album was dubbed " 'E," picks up the format with her second outing, " 'I." Yes, a single-letter title again. The first translated to different and out of the ordinary; the second means supreme or best.

The CD packaging may be confusing. We're displaying here the sleeve that wraps around the conventional CD cover image of Kamauu in an outdoor pose; the upside-down glamour image, depicted on the liner booklet, visually plays into the singer's m.o. of being, well, different.

Kamauu contributed half of the original songs on the disc in a wide mix that expands her boundaries of Hawaiiana, too. Who'd have thought, for instance, to adapt Barbra Streisand's "Evergreen" into the Island realm; while sung in English, the spirit of green-ness and romance and renewed mana'o ultimately suits Kamauu's vision and beliefs.

On her Hawaiian plate, there's a zesty serving of vamp on her "Hula Baby," designated as the " '08 Pro Bowl Mix," and a surge of pop elements opening up her "E Ala E" mele, augmented by pahu (drum) accompaniment, one of her compositions.

"Ginger Blossom" is also hula heaven, with swing and bounce for singers and dancers alike.

Michael Casupang's and Karl "Veto" Baker's "Ka Wai Nahehane" has piano accompaniment, and deals with nature-water images, suggesting a flow of bond and faith. And there's lots more to admire.

• Our take: A robust, lively demonstration of Hawaiiana in flux — a mix of the old, a dash of the new — with a wave of charming surprises.

• Genre: Ska-punk-reggae-rock.

• Distinguishing notes: Upstanding Youth is a North Shore-based group featuring Marc Allred, lead vocals; Dimitri Marmash, bass; Thomas Robertson, drums; Aaron Eskaran, trumpet and backup vocals; Timothy Goshi, alto saxophone; and Adam Eskaran, tenor sax. The UY sound is electric, explosive, expressive — with jolting titles like "Electric Fence" and "Detonate" and "Wailing and Gnashing."

The tracks are all original, with a party soul and a dance-floor orientation.

• Our take: They move, they groove — and so will you, if you're teen to 20something. The rest of us unhipsters will likely pass on this.

• Genre: Contemporary Hawaiian, world music.

• Distinguishing notes: This reissue recalls happier, harmonic times, when then-youthful Keola and Kapono Beamer were novices awaiting stardom in their first-ever album, making merry music together. Now, they're disbanded, moving on to solo careers; as 'ohana, they are on separate planets.

Thus, this arrival reflects the earnestness and freshness of their earlier years (circa 1975 through the early '80s), dishing out refreshing songs such as "Mr. Sun Cho Lee," a composition by Eaton "Bob" Magoon, that depicts life and mana'o of another generation. The pair of Beamer originals, "Sweet Okole" and "Kalihi Street Jug Band," with smart lyrics and smooth tempos, defined their youthful character. Other classics are still memorable today: "Kilakila No Roughrider," "He Aloha No Honolulu," "Makee 'Ailana." And, from the family vaults, "Keawaiki" is a classic by Helen Desha Beamer, the brothers' great-grandma.

• Our take: Think Territorial Tavern and you'll pinpoint those early Keola and Kapono moments; this reissue punctuates the duo's roots as pioneering contemporary Hawaiian music-makers.