A few months ago I had the chance to go to a Kalai & Benton Paul concert over at Thanksgiving Point in Utah. Aside from the night's magic spell that was cast from the simple facts that: A) I was on a exceptionally romantic date, and B) the Autumn air was crisp and was perfectly complimented with a free cup o' hot chocolate, there was a certain je ne sais quoi about the concert's main act. Kalai, a Hawaiian born singer-songwriter, has a sound that's a melting pot of genres, past and present. Picture a mix between Ben Harper, John Mayer, James Taylor, and Bob Marley and you'll start to get an idea of his particular brand of sound. He ranges from acoustic guitar ballads, to blues, to jazz, to an assortment of reggae-inspired compositions, all the while soaring through fast-paced guitar solos and belting out the chorus in falsetto. He's released five CD's thus far. My current favorites include Acoustacism (mostly romantic acoustic ballads), Crows Feet (a good display of his range of styles and a little more upbeat), and his latest album A Pauper's Hymnal (a bluesy, folksy take on some popular hymns).
Check out Kalai here:
http://www.myspace.com/kalai
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