Long before the release of his debut CD “Me Ke Aloha,” Keaau-born Lito Arkangel was already a household name in Big Island music circles and beyond.
“This CD took me 15 years to accomplish,” Arkangel said Tuesday.
That the recording has garnered rave reviews is no surprise. Produced by Grammy-winner Charles Michael Brotman at his Lava Tracks Recording Studio in Waimea, the veteran falsetto singer-ukuleleist is backed by Sonny Lim on acoustic and bass guitars and Dwight Tokumoto on steel guitar.
“We spent a lot of time on and after recording maintaining the objective, less is more,” Arkangel said Tuesday. “Charles respects me as a person who’s been doing this for so many years. He knows the only person who can really express me the best is me. He’s a great leader, a great guy to work with in terms of bringing the best out of you.”
The 39-year-old Arkangel brings a number of life experiences to his music. He’s a father of two sons and a daughter, U.S. Navy veteran of the Persian Gulf War and an educator who lectures at the University of Hawaii at Hilo’s Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikolani College of Hawaiian Language, teaches an applied learning practicum at Hawaii Community College and is putting together a course for the UH-Hilo Performing Arts department.
Arkangel plays a variety of genres in his live performances, but the CD is traditional Hawaiian, featuring classics such as “Hi‘ilawe,” the Sam Lia composition that became Gabby Pahinui’s signature song; Helen Desha Beamer’s “Kimo Hula”; and Edith Kanaka‘ole’s “Ka Uluwehi O Ke Kai.”
“Charles said to find songs that you really know well, you really know the meaning and that really express you and your love of the culture the most. So, I went back to the roots,” he said. “Every song, I could teach a class, tell a mo‘olelo, a story about it, or explain the kaona, so each song has other different meanings.”
A release party and performance is planned for 4 p.m. Sunday at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel Moku ‘Ola Room. There’s no cover charge. Arkangel said the final product is the result of “setting high standards” for himself.
“In today’s economy, we accept the fact that CD revenue is pretty much obsolete,” he said. “You don’t make that much money off of it. Thus, the CD becomes a very expensive calling card. If I’m gonna do that, I might as well go out and apply everything I can.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
