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The first three tracks from Tim Coffman's The Rhythm of Paradise bear little resemblance to his recent CDs Music From Beach Boulevard and Beach and Guitar. The originator of a California-Hawaiian new beach music genre has gone in a new direction with The Rhythm of Paradise. The tunes on this CD are all good it is just that at times the album seems like it is in search of an identity. The song selection is somewhat ambivalent alternating between twangy country tunes such as "Big Island Rodeo" and "Kona Cowboys" and the beautifully tapestry of "Aloha Beach."
 
John Rekevics returns to work his magic on saxophone and I particularly appreciated his work on the fourth track "Cat and Mouse." We are also treated to some great piano chops by Bill Haworth.
 
The fifth groove "Fresh Roses" is a brilliantly textured composition that rolls easily between a soft neo Jazz flavor and a more subtle melody created by Greg Sardinha's Hawaiian lap steel guitar. You close your eyes, imagine the surf and can almost taste the salt in the air. Just as appealing is "Low Tide" which is literally introduced by the sound of waves.
 
The problem with song selection is just as you are either floating away to some idyllic isle or are thinking about dimming the lights, lighting some candles and waiting for your wife to come home in barges another country tune. 
 
Walter Santos' hand played percussion beats add to the flavor of "One Night In Lahaina" and provide a syncopated rhythm that compliments the guitar work quite nicely.
 
It wouldn't surprise me in the least if some of the instrumental tunes from The Rhythm of Paradise  find their way to the silver screen. 
 
The talented musicians who appear on this CD are too numerous to mention but we would be remiss in not giving honorable mention to Coffman's own work on Rhodes, synthesizer and guitar. He is once again joined on guitar by the impeccable work of Anthony Da Luz, Don Strandberg and Billy Thompson.
 
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By Joe Montague, exclusive rights reserved

Joe Montague is an internationally published journalist / photographer. His ministry is dedicated to the memory of his late son Kent David Montague who went to heaven at the age of 18. All copyright and distribution rights remain the property of Joe Montague.