Illustration by Joe Nguyen

Angelic Siren | The Infuser | The Shadow | Triumvirate | Terminal Velocity

Terminal Velocity
Joe Nguyen, editor
Feb. 6, 2007

Sometimes the greatest addition requires a subtraction.

Jake Shimabukuro’s albums have always featured the ukulele virtuoso jamming with a bevy of accompanying instruments. Although the sound was full, something was missing. Something didn’t sound quite right. Something left his tunes feeling incomplete.

In his latest album, Gently Weeps, Shimabukuro remedies this problem by eliminating the other instruments for the majority of the album. What remains is an assortment of rich, soulful solo performances that showcase the extent of the 30-year-old’s talents.

The album opens with a cover of The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” The song begins with a bluesy introduction, but moves into a softer tone with Shimabukuro’s feathery plucks. As it progresses, the notes come faster and with a vengeance as he displays his lightning-quick strum technique

.“Blue Roses Falling” is the best song on the CD. It features a dulcet melody with occasional harmonic strikes, a trademark of the musician. The only problem with the song is that it begs to have lyrics accompanying it. Probably not from Shimabukuro, however, as he has joked in interviews saying that he can’t sing.

But one of his songs did get fleshed out with vocals. On the vocal version of “Wish On My Star,” he teams up with Hawaiian-born singer Jennifer Perri. Her gentle voice lends a broader sound to his music.

Gently Weeps is the first album to allow Shimabukuro to show the full range of his four-stringed instrument. Although the music is pleasing to the ears, there’s still that studio-perfected cleanness to the album that cheapens an amazing collection of songs. So the question that lingers is, when are you going to put out a live album, Jake?

Joe Nguyen is the editor in chief for asiaXpress.com. You can contact Joe via e-mail at joe@asiaxpress.com.