Kala
Trevor Hall
Vanguard Records

Trevor Hall’s new album, Kala, was written in Hawaii and recorded in Los Angeles and reverberates with an eclectic mix of reggae, Sanskrit chant, and mellow acoustic rock that Hall has developed so beautifully. “The Islands of Hawaii are just magical. I try to look at all land as holy, but those islands are really holy,” Hall told S&H. “They just have such a voice. If you respect and honor that voice and make offerings back to it, it will speak to you.”

Kala, Sanskrit for “time,” is the final album in a trilogy based on Hall’s own life journey. “The lines between music, spirituality, and healing are slowly fading,” he says. “For me, they are one.” Hall’s first inspiration to make music was when he was 16 and heard a song by Ben Harper, “I Shall Not Walk Alone.” Hall recalls, “Oh my lord ... that song just changed everything. The light went on at that moment.”

Simple, sweet guitar and melodic banjo patterns carry Hall’s meditations on self-realization. The songs are deep bows to family (“Mother” & “Uncle Jo”) and respectful reflections on transformation (“You Can’t Rush Your Healing”). On the song “Forgive” Hall points to a path away from world suffering and personal hardship: “From the Rwandan genocide / to the seven sisters forgiving Orion for how he chases them across the skies … let all of your mistakes become all of your greatest gifts in disguise.”

“I’m not sure what would happen if we as a people could forgive more ... especially on a world level,” Hall told S&H. “I believe the change would be monumental and the consciousness of the collective would take a huge step forward.”