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Our Review

I listen to a lot of Christmas music, and I do have a wish list. One of my hopes and longings has been that Dancing Cat would one day release a follow-up to its well-received classic Kihoalu Christmas, remarked on elsewhere on this site. Now, with the release of Hawaiian Slack Key Christmas, lovers of acoustic Christmas music will have the opportunity to add another treasure to their collection.

Hawaiian Slack Key Christmas picks up where its predecessor left off, continuing to work its way down the list of holiday classics in the rich, mellow slack key style originated in The Islands. In a spectacular display of talent, thirteen artists perform songs on this record, many of them among the greatest living slack key players.

Yet in spite of the variety of talent and individual styles, it is a highly integrated work, so much so that it is difficult to pick out highlights. I was impressed with Keola Beamer's unusually subtle arrangement of Away in a Manger. I also liked the western flavor of Dennis Kamakahi's rendition of My Hawaiian Christmas. And Cyril Pahinui draws the record to a fitting close with an emotion-laden and Hawaiian-sounding Auld Lang Syne.

Pick up your copy early, because this record may sell out.

--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2000)

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Various Artists

Hawaiian Slack Key Christmas

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Track List