Not to be confused with the Beach Boys vocalist, the Hawaiian reggae artist Mike Love released his latest album in August 2020 titled “Mike Love & The Full Circle (Live at Home in Hawaii)”.
An 18-track album featuring 2.5 hours worth of music, for those who have had the opportunity to watch Mike Love perform, know how magnificent a performer he is, may he be alone or with a group of musicians, he’s an artist that knows how to entertain audiences and captivate people with his melodies and deep lyrics.
“Mike Love & The Full Circle (Live at Home in Hawaii)” is an album which brings Mike Love back with a group of musicians/friends (aka “The Full Circle” which consists of Sam Gonsalves, John Hawes, Keith Tsukamaki, Reggie Padilla, and Arthur Davis), something he has longed for after deciding to focus on a solo career (back in 2010) after being part of the band Dubkonscious.
Recorded at Hawaiian Brian’s in Oahu from back on June 5, 2019, fortunately this live album captures the energy before the unfortunate events of 2020 which would affect many talented entertainers and large gatherings.
The album is well-recorded, capturing the enthusiasm of the audience but most of all capturing clearly Love’s vocals and the music of him and the band.
Featuring live music of songs which are featured in Love’s albums: “The Change I’m Seeking”, “Love Will Find a Way” and “Love Overflowing”.
The tracklist for “Mike Love & The Full Circle (Live at Home in Hawaii)” is as follows:
1 Intro – Phat Joe (Live 6/5/19) 0:49
2 Can’t Take It With You When You Go (Live 6/5/19) 5:32
3 Gonna Make It (Live 6/5/19) 7:35
4 Be Thankful (Live 6/5/19) 6:08
5 Jayum (Live 6/5/19) 2:41
6 Movin’ On (Live 6/5/19) 5:56
7 Human Race (Live 6/5/19) 8:50
8 Barbershop (Live 6/5/19) 6:54
9 Distant Travelers (Live 6/5/19) 9:05
10 Good News (Live 6/5/19) 10:21
11 I Love You (Live 6/5/19) 5:42
12 Jahwakening (Live 6/5/19) 9:29
13 Penniless (Live 6/5/19) 17:03
14 No Regrets (Live 6/5/19) 6:30
15 Let It Rain (Live 6/5/19) 5:55
16 Time To Wake Up (Live 6/5/19) 9:00
17 Permanent Holiday (Live 6/5/19) 21:15
18 No More War (Live 6/5/19)
There is no doubt that this is the best Mike Love live albums (there are a few live album releases that one can find for sale featuring Mike Love on digital distribution sites) but it’s one thing to watching Mike Love perform live via solo, but hearing him alongside”The Full Circle”, there is something different, something special and it can be heard on the music in this album… Positive vibes, positive energy and everyone just playing with aloha.
Heck, a song like “Barbershop” is a perfect song which showcases Mike Love and The Full Circle just jamming to the music, even during each of their solo portions, it’s fantastic!
You are going to see very long interpretations of songs from the 10 minute “Good News Live”, the 17-minute “Penniless”, the 21 minute “Permanent Holiday” and the 11 minute “No More War”. These longer tracks include the MC portions which lead to the longer track time but that’s all good, because you feel and hear the message which Mike Love is delivering to the masses. Pretty deep words, along with deep lyrics.
If anything, this is one of those albums where you feel instantly that you are getting your money’s worth. 18 tracks, aside from the intro, nearly each track lasting from five minutes to 21 minutes long. Two and a half hours of awesome music from one of the most awesome reggae artists from Hawai’i.
The passion of his voice, the passion of the music from Love and the Full Circle and the excitement of the audience. I don’t know how many times I’ve listened to this album since its release but I will say, it’s no doubt a special live album from Mike Love& The Full Circle that fans will love.
“Mike Love & The Full Circle (Live At Home in Hawaii)” is a magnificent album! Highly recommended!
