 ®HAOLOTO ALBUM |
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Haoloto CD 15 Tracks Track listing for HAOLOTO The
album comes with a 16 page booklet containing READ REVIEWS BELOW
TO FIND OUT WHAT THE CRITICS
NZ Musician Magazine Review March 2010 by Amanda Mills  HAOLOTOPan-Pacific performance group Te Vaka has been lauded internationally in their 15-year career, and in 2008 was presented with four industry awards from Australia and NZ. Recorded and mixed in Sydney where Te Vaka are currently based, their sixth album once again showcases the songwriting talents of Opetaia Foa’i. The infectious rhythms and flowing melodies are strong lures to both the diehard and casual fan, the power of the Pacific rhythms telling stories of it’s own. ‘Haoloto’ incorporates the cultures of the creators – Tauasa has Tuvaluan legend, Tui Moana talks of a love of the sea, while Mana Malohi is about ancestral supernatural forces. The energy present in the music is hypnotic, and draws the listener in, persuading you to take notice of what is being said. Amidst all the energy are some moments of reflection with the beautiful and melancholic Toe fetaui (Til we meet again) – about and dedicated to all those who lost loved ones in the 2009 Samoan earthquakes and tsunami. ‘Haoloto’ is a joyful listening experience and one that will only enhance Foa’i and Te Vaka’s long-standing reputations. Amanda Mills Fiji Times - The canoe skipper Ioane Burese (Sunday, February 21, 2010)
But most of all, in this
writer's humble opinion, the music of Te Vaka is a kind of rallying
call for people of the Pacific diaspora, no matter where in the world
they have established their new Jerusalem. Spasifik Magazine Review March 2010 HAOLOTO Opetaia Foa’i, lead singer and songwriter says “this album has been the most challenging and most satisfying of all the Te Vaka albums. Once the canoe got rolling with all on board there was a feeling that we were heading for somewhere special.” And he was right, the result truly is special. With the release of their message-laden sixth album, Te Vaka, have proved why they continue to be at the top of the Pacific Island music scene. Haunting rhythms are fused with evocative vocals piercing through your veins and sending you into a trance. Contemporary arrangements paired with traditional percussion and in some tracks, tranquil ocean sounds, create the backdrop for lyrically powerful songs celebrating life, Haoloto is emotionally-charged. From the first track it takes you on a journey, which at times can be melancholic, Recurring themes of climate change and culture feature strongly and the album ends with a raw, heartfelt tribute to those lost in the 2009 Samoa Tsunami. Haoloto has Te Vaka’s unmistakeable musical elements, and the 15-track album is their greatest offering yet. Qiane
Corfield-Matata Te
Vaka
Haoloto Warm Earth WMCD1008 Full Price (57 mins) **** Pan-Pacific
rhythms and positivity aplenty With half-Tokelauan, half-Tuvaluan
bloodlines, Te Vaka headman Opetaia Foa’i was born in Samoa,
moved to New Zealand as a child, and is currently based in Australia.
Te Vaka are truly pan-Pacific: other group members boast Maori, Cook
Islander, Niuean and European ancestry. Since forming in the mid-90s,
Te Vaka’s collective heritage has been one of the main reasons
the group has been so successful in building an admirable reputation
for presenting strong, energetic displays of Pacific culture. A creative
ear for combining traditional styles with contemporary arrangements
hasn’t hurt either, nor has the Foa’i family’s flair
for savvy self-marketing. Haoloto (Free) follows the established pattern
of Te Vaka’s other five releases, but the sound here is fuller,
the log drumming is more urgent, the female voices are more assured
and Foa’i’s songwriting is in top form. At times it’s
very gentle, such as the tranquil ‘Mau Piailug’, where
Opetaia pays tribute to the renowned Micronesian navigator of the
song’s title and his Polynesian voyages. Sometimes it’s
explosive, as it is on the percussive-driven ‘Tolu Afe’
and ‘Talanoa Te Pate’. Occasionally it’s mournful: ‘Toe Fetuaui’ grieves for those lost in recent regional earthquakes and tsunamis; ‘Haoloto’ is respectfully dedicated to the relief workers who helped out during those disasters. Without a doubt Te Vaka’s warmest, most satisfying album to date, the only clunker is the English-language ‘Well…You Lied’, which sounds like a B-grade version of ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’. But that maudlin inclusion doesn’t dent the overwhelming positivity of this impressive Pacific release. Seth Jordan
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© Copyright 1999 - 2012 TE VAKA
All Rights Reserved
Using original design elements by Roy
Hammans
OPETAIA FOA'I continues to guide with
ease what can only be described as one of the greatest South Pacific
bands of all time - Te Vaka.