Search - Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole :: Facing Future

Facing Future
Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole
Facing Future
Genres: International Music, Pop
 
  •  Track Listings (15) - Disc #1

There's a smart balance of traditional Hawaiiana and contemporary tunes on this CD. There's heart-tugging warmth along with unexpected chuckles. The end result is a candid, honest reinforcement of his vocal breadth.

     

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CD Details

All Artists: Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole
Title: Facing Future
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Mountain Apple Company
Original Release Date: 9/1/1993
Release Date: 9/1/1993
Genres: International Music, Pop
Styles: Pacific Islands, Hawaii
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 761268590121, 669910515525, 761268590145

Synopsis

Album Description
There's a smart balance of traditional Hawaiiana and contemporary tunes on this CD. There's heart-tugging warmth along with unexpected chuckles. The end result is a candid, honest reinforcement of his vocal breadth.

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Member CD Reviews

Jennifer S. (Rowan) from ALBUQUERQUE, NM
Reviewed on 8/8/2006...
Excellent! His medley of Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World is absolutely moving.
1 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

CD Reviews

Something's gotta a hold on me......
Jesse Kornbluth | New York, NY USA | 02/22/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Last year, I saw an etoys commercial that began with a boy chasing fireflies and ended with his wise and loving father ordering a firefly 'kit' from etoys. It was a good ad, but what made it great was the music --- someone playing a 4-string ukulele and humming.It was the oddest thing. Every morning this commercial ran on the 'Today' show, I'd get....misty. Without a word, the music generated pictures of home and love and security --- images of a world in which everything works.I mentioned this commercial to others. They also had noticed the music and had been moved by it. But no one knew who the singer was.Then a colleague quietly played a CD in her office: the soundtrack of the Sean Connery film, 'Finding Forrester. And along came this song. Its title: 'Over The Rainbow/Wonderful World.' The singer: a Hawaiian named Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, who, as a quick Web search revealed, had died in 1997 at the age of 38.I read up on IZ, and learned IZ called his producer and said there was a song he had to record. He showed up at the studio at midnight with his ukulele -- and, in 5 minutes, created "Over The Rainbow/Wonderful World." In 1996, National Public Radio did a piece on IZ and played 'Over the Rainbow.' Listeners called in; sales shot up. And music insiders like Jimmy Buffett, Paul Simon and Bette Midler were no longer alone in their admiration for IZ.The following year, when IZ died, it was clear that he was the Bob Marley of Hawaii. His casket lay in state at the Capitol, and 10,000 fans came to say goodbye. The next day, friends paddled a double-hulled voyaging canoe into Makua Bay, where IZ and his friends had camped out and played music over the years. It was in this bay, in l982, that IZ had scattered the ashes of his brother Skippy, who had died of a heart attack; now the brothers would be united.There was thunderous cheering as IZ's ashes were poured into the water. It continued for an hour. To be with IZ one last time, family members and friends ran into the ocean. And the music continued into the night.It still does."
An amazing discovery! wish I could have found him earlier!
Shannon S. Plemons | Atlanta, GA USA | 03/25/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I work in a large chain record store near a movie theatre. Everynight we would have 2-3 people coming in looking for the "Finding Forrester" soundtrack. I finally asked someone what was so special about it. I was told they wanted it for the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" that plays during the closing credits. I didn't know anything about IZ before then. The next day I saw an article about him and heard the song for the first time... I was blown away. I bought "Facing Future" and "IZ in concert" the next day! Since then I have bought every CD that's available. I can't stop listening to him. I'm listening to "N Dis Life" as I type. I'm constantly telling people about "Brotha IZ". His music is so pure and simple, yet so complex and amazing. I still can't believe that such gentle music can come from such a large man. In a time where corporate music is shoved down our throats by radio and TV, IZ is not just a breathe of fresh air, he's the only thing worth breathing. IZ the man may be gone, but his music has made him immortal. May he live on and bring some culture and peace to mainstream music."