★★★★★
Fast-fingered, sweet-voiced Makana is the slack-key guitar equivalent of ukulele prodigy Jake Shimabukuro. He's well versed in classic Hawaiiana, but his technical expertise and inventiveness have led him to forays in jazz, folk and rock. For fans of his earlier Hawaiian-themed albums, "Different Game" - released in 2007 but due out this week on a new label in an enhanced format - delivers what the title promises...
- www.sfgate.com
2009-11-06
★★★★★
The title of Makana's third album ("Ki Ho'alu" means "to loosen the keys [or slack the strings]" on an instrument in Hawaiian) and his appearance on the cover in native garb signal that the disc is his take on traditional Hawaiian slack key guitar music, and he follows through on that promise, playing his versions of some of the basic tunes in the repertoire, starting with "How'd Ya Do," Andy Iona's song, which dates back to the 1920s...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
Koi Au is the sophomore release from the young Makana, who spent his apprentice years learning from the likes of the Pahinuis and Sonny Chillingworth. Here, he showcases a sort of new direction for slack key guitar, as he works through some standard forms (including a slack key instrumental penned originally by Chillingworth), but also mixes in pieces of world music, with some Portuguese fado making an appearance as well as a Chinese zheng...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
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