Kui Lee did not have much chance to record before his untimely death, although an astoundingly high percentage of his compositions have been covered by other Hawaiian artists, such as
Ed Kenney and
Don Ho.
The Extraordinary Kui Lee is an appropriate title. Everything that
Kui did, even songs that sound a bit like outtakes from the movie Easy Rider, was graced with great emotion and sensitivity. He truly modernized the music of Hawaii (for better or worse), and this record demonstrates the master's power. He was a showman as well as a sensitive writer, and this comes through in the recording.
It is not then-contemporary Hawaiian music so much as it is 1960s poetic rock sung by a Hawaiian. All songs are originals, including "I'll Remember You," a big hit for
Andy Williams. ~ Tony Wilds