Mele Ohana performs at the Maui Prince Hotel as the duo of Wayne Kamakeeaina (vocals, guitar, banjo, ukulele) and Tarvin Makia (vocals, bass), but they enlisted several friends as guests on this souvenir album. Ron Kuala'au takes over on lead vocals and guitars on \"Me Ke Aloha Ku'u Home O Kahalu'u,\" Alan Villaren plays guitar on several other songs, Henry Allen plays steel guitar, and so on. In short, the musical family heard here includes several calabash cousins.
Kamakeeaina and Makia put the emphasis on original songs. Some are of the earnest autobiographical type. Others --- co-written with Keli'i Tau'a or Yoshio Owa -- have more substance. \"Shinkansen,\" written by Tau'a and Kamakeeaina, combines Hawaiian lyrics and Japanese narration. \"Olomana Blues,\" by Makia and Owa, adds a retro player-piano jazz number to the collection.
