Peace Love Ukulele

Anyone who doubts the melodic and rhythmic potential of the humble ukulele will be blown away by uke virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro. On Peace Love Ukulele he not only transcends the physical limitations of its four strings and two octaves, but also reveals its worth as a compositional and solo instrument. Shimabukuro further shows that his technical and creative chops are not confined to a single style. He’s joined by a string quartet on the dazzling “143 (Kelly’s Song),” “Bring Your Adz” rides a jam-band groove with bass and drums, “Pianoforte” is an ornate solo lullaby, and there’s a rollicking ukulele duet, plus rhythm section, with his brother, Bruce, on “Ukulele Bros.” Along with the nine original compositions he also covers Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and does an inspired solo version of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” in which he nails each separate movement of the dynamic rock song. Here, as on his half dozen prior releases, Shimabukuro continues to raise the ukulele to new levels of proficiency and prominence.