Four Hands Sweet & Hot

Album Review

Another beautiful recording from the Dancing Cat label's Slack Key Guitar Masters series. This one pairs acoustic slack key by Cyril Pahinui (from the royal family of slack key) with steel from Bob Brozman. Occasionally, the speed can be impressive (something notable for slack key generally). A tiny bit of crossover can be heard once in a while, as in the Bonanza bits that show up in "Hawaiian Cowboy." What makes the album remarkable is really the way that the steel and slack key work together so flawlessly, combining the slide and the picking. Also, when Brozman changes over to slack key, the doubling up of the intricate passages is something to behold. For fans of the genre, the folks on this album should already be known (though Brozman is a non-native, he worked for quite some time alongside Led Kaapana). For newcomers, solo albums from the Dancing Cat label might be in order first, to gain an understanding of the solo styles of notables in the field, such as Cyril's Night Moon-Po Mahina. A wonderful bit of work on the parts of both musicians.