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Olatia CD
13 Tracks
Track listing for OLATIA
| 1/
Vaka aitu |
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8/ Tu
tokatahi |
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| 2/ Lelei ilo
tenei |
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9/
Mataliki |
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| 3/ Nonu Paoa |
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10/ Limatane |
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| 4/
Lua afe reload |
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11/
Vaitaimi mihia |
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| 5/
Ki te fakaolatia |
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12/ Te Kupu |
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| 6/
Ke faitatala |
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13/
Our Ocean |
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| 7/ Mata o
Tane |
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The
album comes with a 16 page booklet containing
the words and translations of all the songs.
READ REVIEWS BELOW
TO FIND OUT WHAT THE CRITICS
HAVE TO SAY ABOUT "OLATIA"'
NZ Herald August 2007 Review by Graham Reid
Te Vaka: Olatia (Warm Earth/Ode)
This formerly Auckland-based
and socially-conscious group have now relocated to Australia, but Te
Vaka rarely played in New Zealand anyway. Theirs was a lways a bigger
calling and they spend much time at world music festivals or in the
Pacific where their emotional heart remains.
Singer-songwriter Opetaia Foa'i has a real gift in bringing together
traditional songs and contemporary pop styles (the man writes what
should be hit after hit, but radio doesn't play them) and while there is
considerable Pacific warmth in the music there is also a sadness is many
songs for what is being lost in this region.
He writes mainly in the language of Tokelau, where his father is from,
and sometimes in Tuvaluan and Samoan, and his subjects are about
environmental issues such as global warming, or the the need to take
care of culture in the face of political and social pressures.
On this, their fifth album, Te Vaka confirm they are the most important
voice out of the broader Pacific region and that multi-instrumentalist
Foa'i remains a potent songwriting force.
I don't much like the spoken bit by the child in Ki Te Fakaolatia/To The
Rescue, but that seems a minor complaint in the face of this typically
excellent album.
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| Spasifik Magazine
Sept/Oct 2007
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Te
Vaka's fifth album Olatia follows the tried and true
formula that has made them the successful group they are. That
being the impeccable collaboration of traditional and
contemporary sounds and indigenous lyrical content. But leader
Opetaia Foa'i and his group have not rested on their laurels. He
has set the benchmark higher with his songwriting yet again and
the social and environmental messages confirm they are still an
important voice for the Pacific around the world. While their is
a tinge of sombreness in some of the tracks, Olatia
carries a more optimistic in it's meaning "to be prosperous,
live well and to be fertile". |
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World Music Central
September 2007 |
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Rooted in the Soul of the Polynesia |
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09/15/2007
03:30AM
Contributed by:
TJNelson
 Olatia
Te Vaka (Warm Earth Record, 2007)
Crafting a culturally conscious music rooted in the soul
of the Polynesian sound is what
Te Vaka 's latest CD Olatia is all about. The
group's leader, singer and lyricist Opetaia Foa'i,
committed to the social, political and economic causes
of the peoples of the South Seas, forfeits neither
message or quality on Olatia, making it a triumph of
Polynesian/Maori sound.
On a first listen it's no
wonder
Te Vaka has captured the ear of listeners with their
four previous albums, world tours and their Best Pacific
Music album award, and it comes as no surprise that
Olatia is endowed with a richly magical blend of
traditional and contemporary.
Meshing traditional
Polynesian log drumming with a socially conscious
messages sung in Tokelau, Tuvaluan and Samoan, Olatia's
heart belongs to the people it tries to inspire and the
environment it is intends to see saved from ill use and
neglect. Intricate drumming and haka vocals listed in
the liner notes might give some the impression that
Olatia is all about tradition, but its incorporating
influences of guitars, bass guitars and electric
instruments make the CD fresh and modern, urging the
blend of sounds to completely entice the listener.
Opening track "Vakaaitu" is stunning with dreamy
evocative vocals, roots-heavy chant and some powerful
drumming. The rich composition hooks the listener in a
cavernous depth of log drum rhythms against dreamy
overlayed vocals.
Olatia moves into the
deceptive sweetness of "Lelei Ilo Tenei" with its breezy
South Seas sound, with lyrics that speak of the " Badman
dumbing you down, Pulling you down, Killing you slowly,
Killing your soul."
The upbeat "Nonu Paoa"
follows, fueled by sheer force of exuberant joyful
vocals and chunky chant as backup. "Lua Afe" is one of
those tracks that's bound to attract a good deal of
attention at it is the song used to champion the All
Blacks and Manu Samoa rugby teams. If there ever was a
song meant to inspire an intimidating force this is it
with throaty chant and potent drumming.
"Ki Te Fakaolatia" is
another of those sweet South Seas sounding songs, but
its call to environmental responsibility doesn't miss
translation with a spoken English section. The
instrumental tracks "Mata O Tane" and "Lima Tane" are
the exotic gems of Olatia, professing the richness of
the Polynesian sound with their intricate, lacy webs of
superb drumming.
Olatia, dedicated to environmental and social issues,
focuses its elemental song power of not only on the
message but the quality of sound and evocative
composition. |
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Amplifier NZ music |
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Te Vaka - Olatia
Pumping through the veins of the Polynesian's
heart, discover the tribal and passionate sound of
Te Vaka's fifth album
Olatia. Written by the widely respected Opetaia Foa'i, the
people's musical voice of the past and present, unveiling
political and spiritual issues. Te Vaka is the most
internationally recognised modern Polynesian band. Comprising
of eleven native musicians and dancers, four of which are part
of the Foa'i family, who through their music are trying to
keep their traditional culture alive.
The album emulates an earthy grounding beat, full of melody.
Never straying from their roots. The theme of nature
atmospherically binds some of the tracks together. Each track
has it's own strength. Birdsong opens Ki Te Fakaolatia (To The
Resue) singing of the survival of their environment and the
power of life. Changing the tune is Nonu Paoa (Nonu Power), an
energetic journey, chanting along powerfully enforcing the
importance of uniting families together. The wide spectrum of
instruments in the album simply diversifies the feel and the
sound of the Pacific culture. Lima Tane features the Hawaiian
ipu, which was a gift to Foa'i during their tour of Hawaii in
2005 - a very inspiring beat.
This collection of 13 tracks expresses the intense desire to
share their story, also covering issues such as global
warming. The lyrics, which are mainly in Tokeelau, but also in
Tuvaluan and Samoan, are translated into English in the
accompanying 16-page booklet. The tone of the majority of
these tracks is of a powerful spirit, however there is also
the voice of a broken heart, representing the sadness of the
loss of identity in this region. Olatia is to be promoted at
the Rugby World Cup in France where Te Vaka shall be guests.
The Polynesians should be proud to have a band like Te Vaka to
represent their people.
Lucy Wyatt
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