Album Review: Paula Fuga brings you into her world and heart with "Rain On Sunday"
Photo courtesy of Universal Music Group.
Every once in a while an album comes along that instantly transports you into the artist's world, and Paula Fuga's new record "Rain On Sunday" does exactly that. For those yet unaware of Paula and her music, Fuga is a Hawaiian native from the small town Waimānalo on the island of Oahu who has become the leading female voice of the Hawaii music scene. Her debut 2006 album "Lilikoi" earned her the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for ‘Most Promising Artist', and ever since she has been garnering a global fanbase with major tours and a wonderful EP titled "Misery's End". All of this has led up to her beautiful sophomore LP "Rain On Sunday", for which she teamed up with Jack Johnson's record label Brushfire Records.
The defining trait of this album's creation is Paula's decision to track live in the studio with her band. For most modern albums instruments and vocals are tracked individually and layered on top of each other instead of together live, but in her words Paula "decided to record that way, because I’m old school, and I’m roots. It’s just got to be real for me. I feel like because I’m a live performer, I feed off of that energy. That synchronicity when you’re jamming with your musicians. Performing live to me is the best". And it's true, the energy of this album has a vibe that can only be achieved by a band of musicians performing together; a living, breathing, push and pull of dynamics and volume that emits from any speaker you listen to this record on. This way of recording is also a testament to Fuga's talent and skill as a vocalist. For many singers recording live with the band would be a risk. Hitting every note to a full song in a single take is no easy feat, but for her it was no problem.
"Rain On Sunday" opens with the feel-good track "Just A Little Bit". The song begins with just Paula on vocals and ukulele, a fitting introduction to both the album and her as an artist. Her band kicks in and all of a sudden you feel as if you're right there with them smiling and tapping to the beat. Paula is extremely proud of her band and regards them as family. She has been performing with them for most of her career, and could not imagine performing or recording with anyone else. The guitarist of her band (and also producer of this record) is the legendary Hawaiian reggae artist Mike Love. As a testament to how she feels about her band, Paula will not play with any guitarist other than Mike, despite him often being away on his own tours and recording schedule. She says, "I don’t have a guitarist when Mike is not around. I don’t want to hire a guitarist and then be like Mike is available for this one, so you have to sit this out. That would be a horrible feeling for me. I’ve tried. I’ve looked high and low and have tried out other guitarists and I just can’t. I’m so spoiled with Mike Love. I’ll fill those spots with other musicians and other instruments but won’t fill in guitar. He knows that and loves it."
"Just A Little Bit" is the perfect start to the album because it embodies her mission to instill upon her listeners the Hawaiian value of "Mālama", which means to nurture, cherish, and protect. In the lyrics she encourages us to push on through, try our best, and laugh just a little bit louder.
The second track on this album is the Hawaiian classic "Hokule’a Star Of Gladness" by the beloved Uncle George Boogie Kalama. We love the story behind this song, and feel like it can be described by Paula herself. "(Uncle Boogie) was on this voyage in a canoe that was built for the purpose of regaining cultural knowledge that had been lost. They only used the natural elements: the sun, the moon, the stars, the clouds, the wind, and the current. While he was on that voyage, he wrote this song. They were stuck in the doldrums for a few days or maybe even a week. The doldrum is this area within a certain distance of the equator, where there is no wind or current and everything is still. It’s where the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere converge. It’s this crazy convergence zone in the middle of the ocean. They entered the doldrums and then got stuck. It’s not a paddling canoe. It’s this huge double-holed canoe. It’s so heavy. He wrote this beautiful song and it’s become a classic Hawaiian song here in Hawaii."
Paula got to know both Boogie and his son very well, and her love of both them and the song are apparent when listening to this amazing rendition of Kalama's classic.
Following "Hokule’a Star Of Gladness" is "If Ever", a wonderfully touching song about mourning and remembrance. Paula wrote and recorded this song with the one and only Jack Johnson. "If Ever" began as a snippet Johnson wrote after the passing of his father. Years later, after Fuga's father had passed, Paula talked with her good friend Jack about what it felt like to lose her father, as she had been there for Jack when he had lost his. The two were hanging out and writing songs, when they started working on and finishing the snippet of "If Ever" that Jack had. What makes this song extra special is how Johnsons's father felt about Paula and her musical collaboration with Jack. In a video performance with Paula, Jack says, "Paula was (my father's) favorite singer. He would always say 'the more you could get together with that Paula girl man she makes you sound so much better'". "If Ever" has already touched many people and helped them heal and deal with losses similar to Fuga and Johnson's. It also features the stellar musicianship of Ben Harper.
"If Ever" is the breakout hit off the album, and for good reason.
"Rain On Sunday" also features collaborations with Natural Vibrations on the soulful reggae track "Love, Give It Feely", and J Boog on the funky and jammin' song "Saving My Love".
The album ends with the beautiful song that is it's namesake, "Rain On Sunday", which features Fuga solo on ukulele and vocals, a fitting finish to this 12 track work of art.
"Hokule’a Star of Gladness" is the Daily Reggae Song of the Day.
Read our Daily Reggae Artist Profile interview with Paula.
By Chris Lawrie.
Review originally published on August 26, 2021.
