Na Leo's "Feel The Spirit" Star Bulletin review
posted: 11/19/2005 - 
The trio of Nalani Choy, Angie Morales and Lehua Kalima Heine has been one of Hawaii's biggest music acts for over a decade, and they've been self-contained, self-managed and self-produced almost as long. That makes this beautifully packaged new album another milestone for them. With the WorldSound ohana behind them, Na Leo has allowed an outsider to step in as producer, and successfully reinvented themselves as a mainstream pop act. It's a gamble, but it pays off.
In choosing to emphasize the trio's individual voices rather than three-part harmonies, veteran Los Angeles-based producer Keith Olsen does a beautiful job stretching the trio beyond their successful Hawaiian and Hawaiian pop sound. "Kiss Me," a Nalani Choy/Bryan Kessler composition, has just enough alt-rock edge that it stands out from the others but doesn't seemed forced. "Simple As A Sunrise" and "Saving Forever," both by Kalima Heine and Daniel Ho, sound more like vintage Na Leo, but have an added polished pop feel. "All Is Right With Me," by Morales and Kessler, will appeal to anyone who has experienced a death in the family.
Na Leo has not always chosen wisely when doing other artists' hits in the past, but they do nicely with "Love You Inside Out," the 1979 Bee Gees hit. They take another look at one of their own hits with a new recording of "Flying With Angels."
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