Henry Kapono - Merry Christmas To You (1998)

When I vacationed in Hawaii in 2009 I discovered that the islands' music was one way the formerly independent kingdom celebrated their unique heritage. When scanning the car radio dial it was easy to find stations that programmed nothing but Hawaiian music, and some of them were broadcasting entirely in the fiftieth state's native language.

While in Honolulu I discovered Grammy winner Henry Kapono who's been one of Hawaii's most loved musical icons for decades. Known almost exclusively in the 50th state, Kapono is a versatile musician and singer-songwriter who helps to keep his beloved culture alive while exploring mainstream pop-rock and many other genres over his long career.

In 2006 Kapono recorded a rock album while singing all of the songs in the island's native tongue on The Wild Hawaiian. On other occasions he's played acoustic folk-rock and straight-ahead pop music, almost all of it in English.

For many years Kapono has played live every Sunday at Duke's - a very famous Waikiki bar and restaurant where it's always party time. He and his small group mix a few originals with a lot of classic rock and oldies. These Sunday gigs have produced two fun CDs. Henry Kapono Live: Duke's on Sunday 2 is currently available.

In 1998, Kapono recorded the first of his Christmas albums, Merry Christmas To You, and it's a seasonal outting that's well worth your time. The album is a short eight track set - barely over thirty minutes - but the star packs a lot into it, offering listeners both secular and religious themes, three originals, and several holiday classics.

The album is mostly low key. One of the highlights is a medley of three sacred works, "O Come, O Come Emmanuel/Go Tell It On The Mountain/We Three Kings Of Orient Are." "O Holy Night" is rewarded with its own separate track and so is Judy Garland's classic, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." All are well done.

The star takes a more upbeat turn with the often overplayed "Jingle Bell Rock" and later tacks a modern rock update of "Little Drummer Boy" on the same track as the sacred "Doxology" that Kapono sings in both English and Hawaiian.

The originals include the title track and a "Prayer For The Children." The latter is more than a bit sentimental but I find that emotion quite acceptable at Christmas time because I often have the same feelings. Falling into the same category is the album's final track, "Silent Night (Henry's Song)" where the singer becomes quite nostalgic while reciting a spoken word essay about his childhood Christmases over a quiet, background arrangement of "Silent Night." It's paired with a reprise of "Doxology" that closes out the set.

I don't know anything at all about Kapono's religious beliefs, but if it matters to readers he appears to be fully invested in the songs concerning the original meaning of Christmas.