Hula
Joe & The Hutjumpers
Hula Joe & The Hutjumpers
It must be the water, or maybe it's just the incredible beauty of
the islands, but Hawaiian Swing has taken yet another giant step
forward with the first release from Hula Joe & the Hutjumpers.
Hula
Joe blends traditional Hawaiian instruments such as the ukulele
and pedal-steel guitar with flare and a sense of humor. The band's
self-titled debut CD (Black & Tan Records) begins with "War
Chant 2000," a blend of the classic "Hawaiian War Chant"
doped up on hip-hop. Amazingly it works. Next, we proceed on a
musical tour of the islands, featuring singer Gin Rummy, who in
"Kilauea Ovadea" has commandeered a bus full of tourists
and documents the blight of the mainlanders. Other treats include
"Grasshackin'," "Boiled Peanuts," "Maui
Girl," "Coconut Wireless," and "Waikiki Chickadee."
The majority of the lyrics reflect life in our 50th statesurfboard
heroes, hula dancing, everyday love, and the invasion of tourists
all are fair game. One could even imagine this record as the soundtrack
to a Broadway show, and the band clearly devoted tremendous time
and attention to the recording's content and quality. No Louis
Jordan covers here; nearly every track is an original.
Besides
the tropical theme, the beauty of this album is that it plays
on many levels. If there were a Billboard Swing Top 10 list, Hula
Joe & the Hut Jumpers would surely have seized the number one
position with this inspired debut. So grab your floral-pattern
luau shirt and pick it up.
-Smilin'
Buddha Joe
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