The Groove Machine

Label: Hitchhike Records
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 734015749127
EAN: 0734015749127
ASIN: B000056K8N

Release Date: 2000-11-21

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Tracks:

Step By Step
Alright
Tell Everybody I Know
Superfly
Drift Away
Stars & Stripes Forever
Unleashed (intro)
Will He Come Down?
E Pili Anei
No Woamn, No Cry
Kelley anne
A Little Bit Of Love
Serano
Will He Come Down (radio edit)

Customer Reviews:

What were the producers thinking?.......2004-10-30

When I first heard the song Drift Away on the radio, I thought it was a joke song by Lanai and Augie. The backing track included bombs dropping, sheets of metal being shaken, monkeys caw-cawing and more. I can't make this up. Bombs and monkeys. If that's your idea of "innovative", then this song is for you. To me, it was more like performance comedy, unintentional as it was.

I was embarassed for the artists after hearing this song. And then to find out that one of the Cruz brothers was on vocals! I was floored. That couldn't be right, could it? Guy Cruz is the man! Well, that's the state of Hawaiian music at the moment. Great talent, crap production, and recycled songs.

No wonder IZ continues to dominate.

Colon: The "Groove" Machine ?!?!.......2003-09-22

This album is called "The Groove Machine." ... How these guys define "groove," I don't know. Most of the tunes are your standard Jawaiian/local feel. Except for track #7 which is clearly influenced by Lopaka & his father, and their experience playing with Martin Denny. Otherwise, it's all pretty standard. Guy Cruz's voice is fairly raspy but nothing special. Also, Jake (as usual) litters the texture by over playing ... his use of "tricks" like fast chordal embellishment (known to string players as "tremolo") and the distortion pedal (more on this later) only help to confuse the listeners' ears and distract from the overall ensemble.

Also there are a couple of things I don't understand about the artists on this album:
1) Why does the band use Lopaka's last name when he's clearly not the leader? Is it because he's the most talented and/or his father is known for their stylings with Martin Denny? ...

2) Why does everyone think that Jake Shimabukuro is so musical and "innovative"? In the album liner notes, he lists himself as playing "distorted ukulele," "slide ukulele," and "acoustic ukulele." OK: All ukuleles are primarily acoustic instruments, even if they have a pick-up/transducer installed. Distortion effects are commonly available and are added with simple footswitches. Anyone can do this and I assure you, many already have!! ...

3)Jake always brags in his bio that he has "studied music theory at the University of Hawai'i" -- Right. And so have all the music majors and minors at UH. Of course we know that UH is known for its music program, just like Juilliard and other such conservatory/music schools...

4)Jake also frequently mentions that he "implements the styles and sounds of many other genres including classical and jazz." -- JAZZ?!?! Ok, if you want to be 'Kenny G' about it, but Kenny G isn't a jazz artist. I'll leave it at that. and ...

5) WHY IN THE WORLD DID THEIR GRAPHIC ARTIST CHOOSE TO MAKE THE CD COVER LOOK LIKE A CD PLAYER? SO LAME!

Jake does it again.......2001-11-27

If you like Jake Shimabokuro's uke' playing you will enjoy this album. A good mix of upbeat tracks and some slow ballads. The new group has a good sound.

Better than Pure Heart..........2001-07-18

Jake Shimabukuro and Colon have outdone themselves, they sound 100 times better since Jon Yamasato left the band. Try it out, it is the best combination of island grooves and fancy ukulele playing. Jake will knock you off your feet!

A debut CD that doesn't quite capture the live excitement.......2001-07-04

I was sitting in the balcony of my hotel room overlooking Kapiolani Park when I heard some music drifting in on the Waikiki breeze. At first I thought it was a recording, a singer somewhere between Steven Stills and Richie Havens, and a guitar player riffing like early Santana, with some Martin Denny style jungle sounds in the mix. But when the singer started the rough and raspy chorus of "Give me the Beach Boys and free my soul..." I realized this "Drift Away" was live. I wondered on down to the bandstand in the sand and was amazed to see that the "guitar" player stomping on foot pedals was actually playing electric ukelele. It was the most unusual use of a traditional instrument I'd seen since Junior Brown and his guit steel in an Austin nightclub. Jake can do just about everything on the ukelele that Santana can on the guitar, but I doubt Santana plays uke.

Anyway, don't be deceived into thinking from the CD title and jacket that this is some kinda electronica. The overtones are more of the Sixties than the Nineties; the melodies are mellow and slack key just like you would expect from these local boys. Despite the rather simple and uniform chord structures of the songs, the group displays a wide range of styles, including jazz, hawaiiana, latin, rock, spiritual and folk. Jake only gets a chance to cut loose on "Serrano" -- his more challengingly virtuoso cover of "Europa" is inexplicably missing from this 'debut' CD (I take it from the liner notes that Colon had a previous incarnation under another name). It's not likely you'll see these guys anytime soon on the Mainland, so I suggest you buy the CD instead for a little island spirit wherever you are.

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Human Conditions ~ Richard Ashcroft

Live in Berlin: 12th July, 2004 ~ Stray Cats

Hotel Rwanda ~ Various Artists

Nobunaga's Ambition Online/Hiryuu No Shou ~ Original Game Soundtrack

Freak 2000 ~ Slok