Love Returns: E Ho`i Mai Ke Aloha Hou

An album of soft songs from Lei'ohu Ryder, quietly sitting somewhere between Hawaiian traditional work and the singer/songwriter tradition. She accompanies herself on guitar for the majority of the album, with songs being personal works primarily written for friends and family. As such, the tone stays relatively constant and relaxed. The key feature to note is Lei'ohu's vocals, as she carefully holds notes for multiple measures with nary a waver in her voice. People who have heard the run of slack key virtuosos and the exotica vocalists of the '60s should find a happy medium here. The decision between good and bad will be based on individual taste, though, as it's a high quality performance but tends to drag on after a time.