Israel Iz Kamakawiwo'ole - Wonderful World
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CD Details
Artist: Israel Iz Kamakawiwo'oleEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2007-06-26
Music Label: Mountain Apple Company HAWAII & Big Boy Record Company
Soundtracks:
- What a Wonderful World
- 'Ama 'Ama
- Henehene Kou 'Aka
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
- E Ku'U Morning Dew
- White Sandy Beach
- Kaleohano
- Ka Huila Wai
- 'Opae E
- Ke Alo O Iesu
- 'Ulili E
- A Hawaiian Like Me
Music reviews of Wonderful World
Music Review: Kinda nice...only because of Bruddah IZ
Rating: 2 Stars
When I first heard this album was coming out, I didn't know what to expect. I love IZ's music; it's so intimate and personal. However I love what an orchestra can do. It can also be intimate...or it can be big and bold.
Okay, where do I start?
This album has some nice music. There are a couple interesting takes on some songs which I grew up with. However I think it's mostly because of Bruddah IZ's own charm. The "orchestra" just doesn't live up to its hype:
1) First of all (and worst of all), it's obviously synthesized. The samples are of varying quality. The strings, for example, sound very much like synth pads while the harp sounds a little more like a harp. And don't even get me started on the brasses. Gross. (I am a brass player.) I was really expecting some real instruments. After all, we have a lot of excellent musicians around here.
2) One thing that troubled me was related to Jon de Mello's comment that IZ could be "singing with a full orchestra -- a rich sound, with depth". But the synthesized instruments, particularly the strings, fail to have this "rich sound." Additionally, everything seems to be mixed as if each instrument was individually close mic'd with very little reverb added. This makes it sound even more dead and synthetic...not like it's in a concert hall at all. Even the editing done with IZ's voice and ukulele falls victim to this same problem. The music just doesn't sound rich and spacious like it would be if recorded by a real orchestra, even in a studio with competent engineers.
3) There are also musical elements that seem to be sloppily or lazily done. One in particular is that the orchestra has not been tuned to the original recording. Thus there are intonation issues between the "orchestra" and Bruddah IZ and his ukulele. Also there are some chords clashing in some parts around. It sounds like lazy editing when they put a Bb-major chord in some instruments but a Bb-minor in others.
4) Finally, most of the orchestrations sound like something you'd hear at a pops concert or in an elevator...relatively simple orchestrations for music that is obviously not orchestral. Strings only play long chords (unless they're plucked); the brasses are only for hits or the weird-sounding entrance in "Ka Alo O Iesu"; the harp is relegated to stereotypical arpeggios and glissandi. The orchestra doesn't have enough contrast. I don't care about these as much as the other three points because I know it's a difficult task to do this without taking too many liberties and destroying the character of the music. But some have already noted that the addition of an orchestra already changes the character.
The album has many shortcomings. If Bruddah IZ were still alive, I'm sure he'd do stuff much differently. If you really want to be touched by his voice and his beautiful music, I recommend other albums like "Facing Future" or "N Dis Life."
Description of Wonderful World
All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.Even a decade after his death at age 38 in 1997, Israel "Iz" Kamakawiwo'ole remains Hawaii's best-known and most beloved singer. His career began when he and his older brother, Skippy, formed a group in their hometown near Honolulu. The two performed together until the latter died in 1982. The band continued on for some years but it was Iz's haunting voice, with its searing yet limpid falsetto, that captured the popular imagination. Indeed, his 'ukulele-laced version of "Over the Rainbow" is widely thought to be the only interpretation that could possibly stand up to Judy Garland's original. Now that the definitive retrospective, Alone in IZ World (2001), has been released, it is perhaps inevitable that new arrangements should be slipped in under Iz's inimitable, indelible vocal tracks. The good news is, however, that these particular lush orchestrations, while totally superfluous, are nonetheless respectful and in good taste, never overwhelming the singing (as if anything could!). There are no revelations, but, fortunately, no unpleasant shocks, either. Perhaps, had he lived, Iz might have decided to go this route anyway. As with Louis Armstrong's (the title of this album refers to Iz's own cover of "What A Wonderful World") and Buddy Holly's string-backed experiments, it's simply yet another way to celebrate the legacy of a departed genius. --Christina Roden
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