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Slack Key Christmas features eight talented guitarists on 11 familiar holiday tracks. This is instrumental guitar music of the slack key variety, a reference to the fingerstyle genre that originated in Hawaii and features strings that are slacked, increasing resonance and fingering options. The cheerful acoustic renditions are warmly entertaining, albeit a bit short (the album ends after only 37 minutes).

Blending the secular and the sacred, Slack Key Christmas provided a cozy context as I sat at the dining room table in the early morning hours of late November. Clutching a hot cup of coffee, I closed my eyes, tried to imagine myself in the Hawaiian high ranch land around Waimea, and enjoyed each soloist interpreting seasonal favorites in uplifting and familiar ways. The music is gentle and thought-provoking--perfect for a quiet Sunday morning. Randy Lorenzo's lightly countrified Jingle Bells put a smile on my face, and Sonny Lim's aural tapestries on I'll Be Home for Christmas and White Christmas were particularly welcoming.

This strong compilation will satisfy the guitar-lover in your life. Put Slack Key Christmas under the tree this year, and you may find yourself in Hawaii before too long! Aloha!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2007)

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From the liner notes:

A collection of holiday favorites arranged for ki ho'alu (slack key guitar), featuring solo performances by Sonny Lim, Jeff Peterson, Charles Michael Brotman, Randy Lorenza, Wailau Ryder, James Kimo West, Dwight Tokumoto and Ben Kaili.

"Slack Key Christmas" was produced on Hawaii Island in the town of Waimea, the heart of paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) country where ki ho'alu originated. As you drive through Waimea in the winter, the roads are intermittently lined with red poinsettias and green pine trees. The chilly winter air of this high ranch land elevation gives paniolo country a special holiday feel during the Christmas season.

Ki ho'alu refers to the tuning of the guitar; the strings are loosened or "slacked" to create various tunings for the instrument. This style of playing originated in the early 1800s when King Kamehameha brought vaqueros to Hawaii Island to teach Hawaiians how to ranch. The vaqueros introduced the guitar to the Hawaiians, who developed their own method of tuning.

Produced by Charles Michael Brotman.

Various Artists

Slack Key Christmas

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Track List