In the Name of Love

Album Review

Hapa, a duo consisting of Honolulu native Keli'i Kaneali'i and New Jersey's own Barry Flanagan, teamed up to release In the Name of Love in 1997, taking its title from the U2 song (which is also featured on the album as a cover). Also covered is Carlos Santana's "Europa," which works quite well for a basic acoustic guitar type of sound, when performed properly. On the album there are more or less two styles of music that emerge. The first is a basic U2 type of sound (not too surprising, given the title), but mixed with a small amount of Hawaiian paniolo-style guitar, which gives an almost throbbing beat behind a driven song or melodic line. The second form is the ballad, which Barry Flanagan (who also wrote most or all of the songs on the album) appears to favor quite a bit. The ballads appear throughout the album, sometimes in English, sometimes translated to Hawaiian. Overall, it's quite a good album, with its varied styles and a few surprises, such as a more traditional Hawaiian chant by friend Charles Ka'upu and a rendition of the classic "Sleepwalk." Also, for fans of Hawaiian music in general, Don Ho appears on the "Waikiki Beachboy Song." Pick it up.