Buy This Album - 'Grand Ukulele' by Jake Shimabukuro

I first discovered Jake Shimabukuro when I heard his cover of 'Every Breath You Take' by The Police in the midst of a ridiculous Adam Sandler comedy. The film was set in Hawaii, so Shimabukuro's ukulele-driven renditions of pop songs added a distinct regional feel to the familiarity of the melodies. The thing I couldn't help but notice was that while the movie was silly, the music was not. It was really, really, really good.

My next encounter with Jake came during my visit to the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix last month. They had a portion of their artist section devoted to him and took advantage of his recent recordings to help showcase his instrument of choice. Again, I found myself irresistibly drawn to his music - to his ukulele music.

I know what you're thinking: Niche. Gimmick. Contrived.

I'm here to tell you: Jake Shimabukuro is none of those things.

The simple truth is that Shimabukuro manages to transcend musical boundaries with an instrument generally considered to be one-dimensional & narrow. And he does so in a way that refuses to feel forced, fake, or phony. This is not schtick. This is genuine musical mastery. This is real art.

His record comes complete with a myriad of different styles, all convincingly voiced by his uke. Shades of melodic rock, bluegrass, pop, easy listening, and even classical can be found on this album. There are some tracks where Jake fronts a rhythm section of bass & drums, there is some symphonic accompaniment, and there are solo tracks. There is real soul here. There is groove & feel. There is melody you can't help but want to sing. There is romance. There is joy. And all of it coming from a tiny wooden body and four little strings. It really is something that needs to be heard to be believed.

Jake Shimabukuro might be a genius. He is certainly not something you've ever heard before (unless, of course, you've actually heard him before). His music is sublime, pleasant, magnificent. It is music, after all is said and done, that makes you feel glad to be alive.