Best of Fiji

AMG Review of Best of Fiji

Adam Greenberg
All Music Guide

Best of Fiji, a greatest-hits compilation of contemporary Hawaiian artist Fiji. On the album is one track from his debut, Evolution, five each from Grattitude and Born & Raised, and three from Transition, along with the stray non-album track "Irresistable Woman." As with much of contemporary Hawaiian music, there's a not-so-careful mix of eggae, synth-driven pop, more traditional elements of Hawaiian music, and basic pop allads. As such, the songs take quite a few predictable turns, despite being rather well made. There are other contemporary artists that have perhaps made greater contributions to the music (Israel Kamakawiwo'ole being the most obvious in Hawaiian eggae, Hapa in the traditional-contemporary fusion, etc.), but in large part, they don't work across the various subgenres. Fiji does a fine job of bridging the boundaries, and this greatest-hits album is actually pretty well done, collecting the highlights by simply condensing the majority of the filler tracks out of his previous albums. If you're going to buy a Fiji album, this is a good choice. It doesn't break any records for originality, but it's pretty good on all fronts.