Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Virtually no clues can be found online as to the identity of the Edinburgh-based singer/songwriter who goes under the moniker Aloha Ke Akua - a Hawaiian phrase meaning "God is love" - other than a sparse Bandcamp profile and an email to Cross Rhythms signed by a chap called Kevin. Such enigma can often help boost interest in an artist but, sadly, the quality contained within this collection of 18 presumably self-penned songs does very little to justify any initial intrigue. Proceedings kick off in promising fashion with the passionately-delivered "Wake Up" which highlights the undisputed fact that the singer has a great voice - full of power and grit with a control that allows him to float between falsetto and full throttle in impressive fashion. Despite this, a number of factors let the side down including the decision to use only a trebly-sounding but nonetheless well-played acoustic guitar on all tracks with the exception of the pleasant enough "Fragile Thing Piano" and some layered backing vocals which pad some songs out. Also, the melancholic feel of the majority of tracks - despite containing a positive message of God's love - means that things become very samey very quickly. In addition, the artist's tendency to pepper his performances with frankly bizarre vocal sounds which give the impression he got bored half way through, lyrics that don't always stand up under scrutiny and untidy intros and endings make for a listen that becomes something of an endurance test. By choosing a handful of his best compositions and getting some proper studio time with some backing musicians, I have no doubt that the elusive Aloha Ke Akua will have a lot to offer but unfortunately this release does him very few favours.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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