AMG Review of Take Me Home

Al Campbell
All Music Guide

Take Me Home is the debut offering from Ale'a, which means sweet voiced in Hawaiian, and it is a fitting moniker for this four-piece band. Along with top-notch harmony, their musicianship, while rooted in their traditional heritage, also encompasses the contemporary side of Hawaiian music. Ale'a combined forces while playing for island tourists in 1997, but the individuals of the band have been playing this music all their lives. Amongst the several traditional Hawaiian favorites and scattered originals are cover versions of "Dueling Banjos," Tracy Chapman's "Baby Can I Hold You," Chris DeBurgh's "Lady in Red," and Sam Cooke's "Cupid." Available on the Tropical Music label based out of Honolulu.