CD Reviews: Sabrina and A Tribute to Na Lani Eha

LISTEN: Sabrina

The Hawk and the Hunter

With this full-length debut, singer/songwriter Sabrina Velasquez builds on the atmospheric indie-rock feel featured on her 2009 EP The Anomaly. There are still pop hooks here to grab your attention, but the overall mood is melancholic and darker. (“Maybe one day we will misbehave ourselves … because there are many things that we will leave behind,” goes a typical lyric.) A perfectly suitable soundtrack for whiling away the last of the rainy season.

LISTEN: A Tribute to Na Lani Eha

Various Artists

Kalakaua, Liliuokalani, Leleiohoku and Likelike weren’t just royal siblings, they were amazing musical composers, known collectively as Na Lani Eha, The Royal Four. This new compilation celebrates their songs in proper fashion, with well-respected artists such as Louis “Moon” Kauakahi, Cyril Pahinui and Teresa Bright turning in virtuoso performances of monarchy-era compositions. Some you’ll recognize—“The Queen’s Prayer” is a popular hymn—others, such as Princess Likelike’s “‘Ainahau,” are rarely recorded gems.

This article appears in the February 2011 issue of HONOLULU Magazine.