It’s been 25 years since John Cruz’s debut album, “Acoustic Soul,” won Contemporary Album of the Year at the 1997 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards and Cruz claimed the Hoku for Most Promising Artist.
The popular singer-songwriter is celebrating the anniversary with a statewide tour, including a pair of shows at at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 28, at Kahilu Theatre in Waimea.
“We’re going to play most of the songs on the record and some newer stuff. And maybe a few surprises for the people,” Cruz told the Tribune-Herald on Thursday.
Before downloads and streaming services, compact disc sales was the benchmark for commercial success. Years ago, “Acoustic Soul” had sold a reported 100,000 units, a mind-boggling figure for a Hawaii artist without national airplay.
“That figure has doubled, probably,” Cruz said. “When we released the album, I played all the Borders and Tower Records. And the manager at Tower Records told me, ‘You know this album is going to sell forever, right?’ Of course, that song is the one that’s been driving the whole thing.”
For the uninitiated, “that song” is “Island Style” — or as Cruz refers to it, jokingly, “you know, the one that lost for Song of the Year at the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards.”
For the record, the Na Hoku Hanohano Song of the Year in 1997 was “Moloka‘i Slide” by Ehukai — a catchy number sung by the late Hilo native Kaulana Pakele.
But “Island Style” is an enduring anthem celebrating everyday family life in the islands, iconic on the same scale as Keola and Kapono Beamer’s “Honolulu City Lights” or “I’ll Remember You,” the Kui Lee composition also recorded by Don Ho and Elvis Presley.
Cruz said he hasn’t grown tired of “Island Style.” And when he performs it, everyone “from the mountain to the ocean, from the windward to the leeward side” sings along.
“That song has basically changed my life. You know what I mean?” he said. “The stories I hear from people over the years, and the experiences that that song has brought into my life, is just awesome.
“I’m always thankful that people have such a connection to it.”
Other songs on “Acoustic Soul” have become island standards, as well. Those include the self-penned “Shine On,” plus “Sittin’ Around,” written by his sister Ernelle “Doodie” Cruz, and a cover of Jimmy Cliff’s “Sitting in Limbo.”
In fact, Cruz performed a solo vocal and guitar version of “Sitting in Limbo” released on the YouTube Playing for Change channel’s Live Outside video series. Since May 2020, it’s received more than 167,800 views. That number, however, pales in comparison to his version of Bob Dylan’s “Jokerman” from the same session. That video has been viewed more than a million times, and Cruz said it’s garnered him a new audience on the mainland.
“The response to that has been crazy,” he said. “You know, Bob Dylan fans are crazy about him. And it’s interesting, because growing up in Hawaii, you didn’t hear much Bob Dylan on the radio.”
Cruz has released just one album since “Acoustic Soul.”
“One of These Days” won the Hoku for Contemporary Album of the Year in 2008. While it didn’t duplicate the commercial success of “Acoustic Soul,” it sold well. It’s also an artistic success with a number of radio-friendly songs, including the title track, the achingly beautiful “Missing You,” and “Hurricane,” penned with writing partner Mark Herschler, an East Coast singer-songwriter.
Herschler and Cruz also have written several audience favorites that have yet to be released commercially, such as “Drunken Boat,” a nautical cautionary tale in 3/4 time, the rollicking “Where the Law Can’t Touch Us,” and “It’s Time to Build a Bridge,” a message apropos of today.
“We had started writing about eight or nine years ago,” Cruz said of “It’s Time to Build a Bridge.” “And right as the pandemic hit, we’re stuck at home. And all the political stuff that was going on, you know, the divisiveness in the country and all that stuff, it was just crazy. So, we talked a couple times a week, and he said, ‘Hey, man, right now would be a good time to finish that song.’”
Cruz said he has about two albums of unreleased material already recorded, but acknowledges the shift away from albums and even downloads to streaming services such as Spotify. He plans on releasing the songs he feels are up to his standards, perhaps an EP, in the foreseeable future.
The 58-year-old singer-songwriter is playing a weekly Wednesday residency at ProArts Maui. For the Kahilu concerts, he’ll bring a band that includes his brother, Tony Cruz, plus Blayne Asing, a Hoku-winning singer-songwriter-guitarist, and Seann Carroll, a drummer who played with Cruz’s late brother, Guy Cruz, for years.
“And there might be another few family members who might come up and sing some songs with me,” Cruz said.
Sales are brisk for both of Cruz’s Kahilu shows, but tickets are available for $65 and $35. The 3 p.m. show will also be livestreamed on Kahilu TV. For tickets or more information, visit kahilutheatre.org or call (808) 885-6868.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.