Record Of The Month - June 2004

The Catamaran Serenaders

The Catamaran Serenaders - Tempos Of Tahiti

This is a great LP, combining Hawaiian favorites with a goofy steel guitar.  Even though the album title is Tempos Of Tahiti, most of the tracks on here are Hawaiian standards like Little Brown Gal, Hawaiian War Chant, and Aloha Oe.  But the reason I really love this LP is the unusual sense of humor you can hear in the steel guitar.  The guitarist is skilled enough to put a real sense of whimsy in here, which matches the arrangements just right.  Instead of going for another collection of standards played straight, the musicians are obviously having fun.  The reference to Tahiti is probably explained by the presence of two themes from the Brando flick Mutiny On The Bounty, which are also done very nicely here.  As a bonus (probably temporary), I've made some links that point to downloads for the whole LP...

(1) Love Song From Mutiny On The Bounty
(2) Little Brown Gal
(3) Pagan Love Song
(4) My Little Grass Shack
(5) Hawaiian Wedding Song
(6) Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula
(7) Main Theme From Mutiny On The Bounty
(8) Hawaiian War Chant
(9) Paradise Moon
(10) Lovely Hula Hands
(11) Steel Guitar Hop
(12) Aloha Oe

 

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