Review: Lorna Lima’s “Polinahe”

Lorna Lim is doubly-blessed – she possesses one of the most beautiful voices in Hawaiian music, and was raised in one of Hawai‘i best known and gifted music and hula families. Her latest release, Polinahe, reflects her strong roots in both the Hawaiian music and hula traditions.

Polinahe contains Lorna’s signature vocal stylings on many Hawaiian standards, such as Hula ‘O Makee, ‘Alekoki, I Aloha ‘Ia Nō ‘O Kanaio, and an exquisite rendition of Lena Machado’s “Aloha Nō.” It also includes some new compositions. While the CD jacket lacks lyrics and translations, the lyrics can be found on the Palm Records website, along with audio samples of each track. The background instrumentation is sparse and tasteful – just enough to support and not detract from Lorna’s vocals.

We can only hope that this new release is the first of many to come from this gifted songstress.