Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 24, Number 11, 1 November 2007 — twice is nice [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

twice is nice

Despite a decade of tough times, John Cruz's second album picks up the warmth right where he left it

By Derek Ferrar Public lnfurmatiun Specialist Fans of John Cruz's breakthrough first alhum, "Acoustic Soul," are likely to feel right at home from the very first notes of his second effort, the recently released "One of These Days." The same tight grooves are there, the same eeleetic tastes, the same warm and reflective - but intensely eommitted - voice. It's ahnost as if a decade hadn't passed between the two recordings, including a stretch of Cruz's well-publicized struggles with substance problems and personal demons. But while one might expect such rough times to lend a harder edge to Cruz's music, if anything the songs on "One of These Days" are even mellower and sweeter than those on his

first record. If they sound like they were picked up right where "Acoustic Soul" left off, says Cruz, that's because they were. "They're all songs that I wanted to get down on tape for quite a while," he says. "It was mainly a matter of getting my head into a space that was clear and focused enough to get it done." In the meantime, he says, "the songs had time to mature, in my delivery and how I felt about them." The major difference is that, while "Acoustic Soul" was essentially a solo effort, "One of These Days" incorporates a full range of haekup from a who's-who of session players, from percussionist Paulinho Da Costa (Herbie Haneoek, Lionel Richie) to lap steel player Greg Liesz (Joni Mitchell, Lucinda Williams). The alhum was

recorded mainly at the L.A. studio of Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer Jackson Browne, one of a posse of big-name fans that Cruz has won over (others include Jimmy Buffett, Hawai'i-bred folk-pop sensation Jack Johnson and megasurfer Kelly Slater.) To get the sound he was after, Cruz, who produced "One of These Days" himself, bucked the wonders of the digital age to record on good old-fash-ioned analog tape, using vintage instruments whenever possible. "I was trying to capture what people get most from my music, whieh is just a warmth," he explains. "That's pretty mueh my main thing, whether I'm performing, mixing a track or whatever - I always try make sure that that warmth inside me translates. With this record, I wanted to use analog recording and older instruments to really incorporate that special texture and color." While Cruz's grandmother, Maria Suganuma, was a pure Hawaiian who was one of the founding residents of the Papakōlea Homestead, his mom, Doreen, was something of a rebel who left home early to sing in bands, and filled John's childhood home in Pālolo Valley with the Motown sound. That early inAuenee shines through

on "One of These Days," from the funky horn lines and Hammond organ grooves on the title track to the smooth melody of If That's the Way She Wants It, on whieh Cruz has said he consciously sought to emulate the masterful songmanship of Stevie Wonder. A number of the tracks on "One of These Days" were penned years ago by Cruz collaborators like former bandmates Matt and Mark Herschler, who wrote the African-spiced Hurricane (think Paul Simon in his Graceland era); pal Joe Keenan, who wrote the album's most rocking cut, Baby's Gone Blues; and speeial friend Heather Goff, who contributed the winsome Dream Song. The sweet tearjerker Be There was composed by Cruz's brother Ernie (of Ka'au Crater Boys fame) back in kid days as a love song to his musical siblings. As on his first alhum, Cruz includes a single Hawaiian standard on the new record - in this case, Hi'ilawe. But given the fact that, aside from those and his contemporary island anthem Island Style, most of Cruz's music is geography-neutral, it's interesting to contemplate what it is that makes his work feel Hawaiian. "I love good music, period,

including goodHawaiianmusic," Cruz says. "As far as making a contribution to Hawaiian music myself, I feel like I have yet to explore it enough as a player and singer. But most definitely, no question, I am Hawaiian. I grew up here, I was exposed to Hawaiian melodies and slack key; it's just natural that that would heeome part of the feel of my music." Something that not many people know is that during the dozen years Cruz spent living in the urban Northeast, besides cutting his musical chops in subway stations and coffee houses, he performed in nationally recognized theater and dance companies. When asked how that experience affects his musical performances, he says, "Whenever I go on stage, I always have an awareness of being a performer and all that entails. If people allow you to get on stage - if you're so bold as to go up there and say 'look at me' - you should try to bring everything you ean to the table. So any time I go on stage, I want to bring everything I am to that moment, because I know how rewarding it is when I do, and people share with me how it makes them feel. That's pretty mueh why I'm alive." □

MELE 'AILANA • ISLAND MUSIC SCENE

ISLAND STYLE In November, John Cruz will be touring the Islands in support of his new alhum. The dates are: Fri., Nov. 9: Gaylord's at Kilohana, Llhu'e Sat., Nov. 10: Aloha Tower Marketplace, Honolulu Fri., Nov. 16: Aloha Theatre, Kona Sat., Nov. 17: Palaee Theatre, Hilo Fri. & Sat., Nov. 30 & Dec. 1: McCoy Studio, Maui Arts & Cultural Center For more info: johncruz.com

" To capiure warm style, Cruz recorded his new CD on analog tape, using vintage instruments - Photos: Courtesy ofLilikoi Records