Na Pali

It's rare that a band takes this long between albums (18 years passed between Na Pali's previous album and this one). Luckily for the listener, however, this one is arguably worth the wait. In truth, Na Pali has still been performing over the last couple decades, but as Taj Mahal's Hula Blues Band primarily. Here, they return to their own devices and a batch of original songs from now and then across the band's history. While they've always professed to be only a part-time band, their abilities on the instruments are easily enough on par with the full-time groups. The songs range from love found to love lost, the travails of touring, the beauty of Hawaii (a common theme in much of Hawaiian music). At the same time the tone roves from a pensive ballad to basic slack key rumbling to a rollicking romp in taro patch tuning, all handled well by the quartet regardless of style. Making appearances are a few notables from outside the world of Hawaiian music proper -- Taj Mahal, George Winston (known for advocacy of Hawaiian music, but primarily a new age pianist), and Native American songstress Buffy Sainte-Marie. A wide variety of abilities are on display here, all framed by an exceptional hand for composition and arrangement. ~ Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide