Amazon.com essential recordingIn Pahinui's hands, slack key guitar is eloquent, original, and virtuosic. Night Moon, his third release on Dancing Cat Records, is his most polished yet. He offers effortless chops, peppering each piece--vocal and instrumental alike--with a broad vocabulary of intricate motives and well-handled dynamics. Singing in a lazy melancholy tenor-baritone, with an impressive falsetto, his voice is the perfect juxtaposition for his active, expressive playing. Pahinui has recorded prolifically since the late '60s when he appeared on several albums with his father, the late Gabby Pahinui (Hawaii's best known and most influential slack key guitarist). Pahinui is ecstatically at play on "Hurrah Lani Ha'a Ha'a," which sounds distinctly country, and features some of his most deftly crafted fretwork. Listen to the subtle harmonies of "Hawaiian Cowboy," and the halted urgency of "Po Mahina," and you'll put this guy up against any fingerstylist around. Night Moon is a great buy for guitar enthusiasts. --Daniel Ferris