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Jake Shimabukuro
My Life
(Hitchhike)
First Appeared in The Music Box, November 2007, Volume 14, #11
Written by John Metzger
Fri November 23, 2007, 09:30 AM CST
There’s only one thing stranger than listening to Led Zeppelin’s Going to
California or The Beatles’ Here, There and Everywhere being performed
on a ukelele. It’s hearing how stunningly beautiful Jake Shimabukuro makes the
songs sound. The rest of his six-track EP My Life is equally exquisite.
On stage, Shimabukuro is a flamboyant performer who not only amplifies his
ukelele but also plays it with his teeth. His repertoire runs the gamut from
Hawaiian folk to classical fare, though his covers of rock and blues songs are
what has garnered him the most attention. Over the course of the past few years,
Shimabukuro has become a sensation of sorts in Japan, and more recently, he has
begun to make a similar impression across the United States. Not only has he
toured with Bela Fleck and Jimmy Buffett, but he made a splash on YouTube with
his adaptation of George Harrison’s While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
Shimabukuro’s fascination with turning The Beatles’ material into
instrumental showcases for the ukelele isn’t as big of a stretch as it might
initially appear. Although Harrison may have been the biggest and the most
respected spokesman the instrument ever had, John Lennon also learned to play
the ukelele at an early age, while Paul McCartney has been sporting one on his
last few tours. Shimabukuro simply carries their legacy one step further. In
addition to Here, There and Everywhere, he also delivers a resplendent
rendition of In My Life by plucking and strumming his ukelele in a way
that makes it sound like a high-pitched classical guitar.
Shimabukuro performs solo on four of My Life’s six tracks, and he’s
joined by a modest slate of accompanists on the other two selections. The
results are subdued and soothing, though there undoubtedly is more to
Shimabukuro’s appeal than what he displays on the set. Regardless, My Life
serves as a terrific introduction to an improbable star whose success is born
more from his talent rather than from gimmickry. 
My Life is available from
Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
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For UK orders, please
Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2007 The Music Box
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