Ukulele Club Of Paris "Manuia!" (Universal-France, 2002)
Hee-hee-hee. The Ukulele Club of Paris is a wonderfully diverse, playful ensemble that commingles odd, cute, ukulele-sized versions of old standards such as Hoagy Carmicheal's "Hong Kong Blues" and the venerable "Teddy Bear's Picnic" with cool originals and perky covers of old Hawaiian standards. The album opens with a delightful cover of Benny Nawahi's "Girl Of The South Sea Isles," complete with the lyrics translated into French; wisps of Latin and Brazilian music come in as well... Admittedly, you have to be into uke music to begin with, and even so this is probably best taken in moderate doses... But these guys are top-flight... If you like listening to artists such as the Cheap Suit Serenaders and Bob Brozman, or the groups they inspired (Squirrel Nut Zippers, Asylum Street Spankers, etc....) and likeminded modern uke groups such as Petty Booka, then this disc might be right up you alley... Worth checking out!
