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Slack & Steel Kaua'i
Style"
Ken Emerson (Hanaola, HOCD-97000)
Review by John Ely - Hawaiian Steel Guitar News
<>
Ken Emerson's latest "Slack `n' Steel" effort really suprised me.
I knew he had tons of range as an instrumentalist, but he really came
through with some awesome vocal performances and some really interesting
compositions. This is the full package, folks.
To boot, Ken is joined by
some real music industry heavyweights including Todd Rundgren,
the
Grateful Dead's Bill Kreutzmann, and Charlie Musselwhite. Kauai bass whiz
Pancho Graham plays on most of the tracks.
Ken is at ease and himself whether playing classic Sol-style resophonic,
or contemporary
slack key rhythms, or the blues, and with more than a
touch of '60s folk-rock sensibility.
The CD is expertly recorded and packaged; you can hear lots of subtle
playing effects and trail-offs on Ken's acoustic steel guitar, which
generally has a deep tone, shimmering in the upper register, that is
different from what you usually hear. Compare the classic Sol Ho'opi'i
sound Ken gets on
"Feelin' No Pain" and "Sassy Hula" to what he is gets on the rest of the
CD.
From what I can gather, he is playing steel using his slack key guitar
on a lot of these tracks
by lightly placing his bar on the guitar strings,
taking care to avoid fret buzz.
And he can switch back and forth between
slack key mode and steel guitar mode. A really unique sound.
"Miloli`i Slack Key" is a dreamy composition by Ken that features
his
slack key and acoustic steel and a beautifully written bridge.
"Nani Kaua'i" is an example of Ken's unique arrangement of a Hawaiian
standard,
reminiscent of the way Gabby would play with a classic.
Rock legend Todd Rundgren joins Kenny on vocals.
Ken sings great on "Lei Nani" and shows how he can use the
bar and fret with his fingers in the same measure.
"Sand" is beautifully played and recorded.
Ken makes it his own with interesting twists at the end.
"Small Axe" is a slack key remake of a Bob Marley reggae classic.
Ken considers this the "true Jawaiian" sound.
Well, we wish all reggae-based Hawaiian music were this
Hawaiian sounding. Don't worry. You'll dig it.
"0 Akua" is a contemporary tune written by John Lincoln with a plaintiff
message
about the plight of modem day Hawaiians.
In Santo and Johnny's classic "Sleepwalk," acoustic steel and slack key
engage in subtle
conversation trading roles back and forth from lead to
backup.
You have to hit those harmonics perfectly on acoustic
steel—electric steel
has a lot more sustain—and Kenny does!
"Ulili E" features a kind of rolling slack key jangle with a rootsy
Sons
of Hawaii kind of feel. Ono! Yet another example of how much
musical range Ken has.
"Too Much Kava Kava" is a cool blues tune Ken co-wrote with Charlie
Musselwhite,
who plays great bluesy harmonica on the track.
"E Lei E" is one of my favorite hulas and Ken shines on vocals, steel, and
slack key.
"Endless Summer" is an interesting Hawaiian treatment of the
theme of the hit surf film of the same name.
On the Noble classic "Manuela Boy," check out the ad-lib verses written
and sung by Ken!
I like his modem slack key feel on this track.
"Ka Loke De Mi Corezon" is a Ken Emerson composition almost classical in
delivery,
a tribute to the influence of Portugal on Hawaiian music. A kind
of steel guitar sonata... Very nice.
The final track of the CD, "E Kalihiwai," is an awesome Ken Emerson
composition about his home district in Kaua'i. An ethereal exploration of
textural overlays with a little exotica-meets-60s-folk-rock-psychedelia.
Well, I tried. You'll have to check it out.
Ken has definitely carved out a niche for himself that is Hawaiian and
relevant—that is,
not merely retro or nostalgic. He has brought many
traditions together to create something new.
That's how most great
Hawaiian music came about, wasn't it? Major kudos, Kenny. A must-have. |
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<><><>
Review of Ken Emerson & Friends - Slack & Steel, Kaua'i
Style
at
http://www.acousticmusic.com/fame/p04490.htm
David N. Pyles - acousticmusic.com
<><><>
SLACK & STEEL - RE-RELEASE
By John Berger - Honolulu
Star*Advertiser
Emerson reissue is diverse "Slack & Steel"
Ken Emerson (HanaOla)
This new CD is a reissue of an album originally recorded by Ken Emerson
in 1997 --
a beautifully crafted solo project that helped rekindle interest here in
the sound of
acoustic steel guitar and other antique instruments.
Reissued by Emerson and producer Michael Cord,
the album includes five additional archival tracks.
Emerson is almost a one-man band. He plays slack-key guitar, acoustic
and electric steel guitar,
rhythm guitar and ukulele in various combinations.
A second guitarist joins him on one track; an acoustic bassist plays on
three.
The diversity of the instruments makes the album especially interesting.
The liner notes explain some of the more elaborate arrangements and make
it possible to appreciate the distinct sounds of the different
instruments
and Emerson's approach to playing them.
Emerson's career traces back to a memorable debut as the Emerson
Brothers --
Phil and Ken -- and a winning spot on Ron "Whodaguy" Jacobs' "Homegrown
III"
album in 1978. The brothers' original song "Kai Hanupanupa,"
stood out for its nostalgic Hawaiian/hapa-haole sound.
Phil and Ken Emerson built on their promising debut with their work as
Moe Keale's studio sidemen on his precedent-setting "South Sea Island
Magic" album in 1980.
While Nohelani Cypriano had reworked the hapa-haole classic as polished
Hawaiian disco,
Keale and the Emersons played the song as it might have sounded if
written a decade or two earlier when guitars and steel guitars were
still acoustic instruments.
The Emersons' affiliation with Keale turned out to be short-lived, but
Ken Emerson continued
on as a solo artist who often played antique acoustic instruments --
some with wooden bodies,
others metal, some with the cones or resonators that were used to
amplify the sound of guitars and steel guitars before the first electric
instruments were invented.
"Slack & Steel" was originally recorded and produced by John Keoni
Fujitani
for his local indie label, Liko Records. Fujitani didn't release many
albums on the Liko label,
but most of those he did were significant.
This was one of the label's best -- and the added tracks make it even
better.
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