Long before the word Americana was applied to a genre of music, Peter Rowan’s music exemplified it, in his ‘70s work with The Rowan Brothers and Old and in the Way, and since then on countless solo albums and collaborations. (Those with Tony Rice and Flaco Jiménez come to mind.) Whether playing unadulterated bluegrass, cowboy tunes, old-timey string-band music or some personalized hybrid that shoots off in multiple directions, his plaintive vocals and considerable acoustic guitar skills have always been utilized to satisfying effect. For his latest effort, Rowan went into deep research mode, studying the roots and branches of Hawaiian song, connecting it to the folksong of the mainland and customizing it. Recording in Honolulu over an 18-month span, playing both guitar and a baritone ukulele, and accompanied by local musicians, Rowan wrote 11 austere and bewitching songs that bear the mark of the islands’ native culture—presented with minimal fuss and embellishment—without giving up any of his familiar, homespun style. On the title track, slide guitars and Rowan’s smooth tenor and trademark quasi-yodel tell the tale of an Appalachian sailor longing for his home and his love, while the opening cut, “My Blue Hula Girl,” is an unadorned love tune for the song’s protagonist, “dancing on the Waikiki shore.” For the more uptempo “Uncle Jimmy,” Chris and Lorin Rowan, Peter’s two brothers and sometime bandmates, donate their harmony voices, and other numbers, among them “Sunny at Sunrise” and “The Waltz of Waikiki,” capture the ethereality and somnolent pace of island life.