Led Live-Solo

You'd probably have to be in the audience of this live show to appreciate Kaapana's trademarked slack key tricks of playing guitar with one hand in a paper bag or fretting with his forearm. Despite a bit of high-profile tomfoolery, though, this disc still comes off as the most personable of the Dancing Cat label's Slack Key Masters series and a great introduction to the genre that heaps in everything from a Hawaiian-bred "Turkey in the Straw" ("Glass Ball Slack Key") to a string-searing version of Sonny Chillingworth's "Whee Ha Swing," plus more traditional material as well. A few of Kaapana's own compositions seem destined for longevity, too, especially "Na Ka Pueo" which highlights his beautiful falsetto with tenor electric guitar.