Slack Key Heaven

For fans of Hawaiian ki ho’alu or slack key guitar music, what wonderful news it is that the venerable label Dancing Cat Records, founded by new age kingpin George Winston, has reformed! It’s hard to track down new slack key albums these days, with most artists releasing independently and under the radar. But Dancing Cat is now on Bandcamp and with their new album, Slack Key Heaven, from the late, great Dennis Kamakahi, they remain at the heart of the tradition. Kamakahi, who passed away in 2014, was a beloved icon of slack key. He took over from Gabby Pahinui in the legendary band Sons of Hawai’i (no small feat) and became known for his prodigious and catchy songwriting in both English and Hawaiian. This posthumous album brings together seven originals from Kamakahi, taken from his family’s archive of personal recordings: a mix of English and Hawaiian songs, as well as instrumentals. The guitar sounds rich and alive, and Kamakahi’s gentle voice is transporting.