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Tutuki CD
14 Tracks
Track listing for Tutuki
| 1/
Samulai |
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8/ Uluhina |
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| 2/ Tauale Mataku |
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9/
Aivoli Taoa |
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| 3/ Lakilua |
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10/ Oku Tupuga |
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| 4/
Tutuki |
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11/
Manu Samoa |
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| 5/
Tamahana |
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12/ Te Lalama |
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| 6/
Te Kaiga |
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13/
Iuliana |
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| 7/ Magalogalo |
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14/ Tofa e |
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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 "TUTUKI"
SONGLINES Magazine UK Nov/Dec 2004
TE VAKA
TUTUKI
Warm Earth Records WMCD1005
Full price (51 mins)
 Sumptuous
stuff from Aotearoa’s Pan – Pacific Polynesians
New Zealand based band Te Vaka have consistently proved themselves to be
one of the most sophisticated and professional Pacific groups around.
Deserving WOMAD favourites, their performances are an impressive
combination of vibrant log-drum rhythms, intricate vocal harmonies and
hip-swivelling island dancing.But while their three previous recordings
have all been pretty good, to my ear Te Vaka have never quite captured
the exuberance of their big live shows. Until now, that is. Remaining
true to their mixed Tuvalu/Tokelau/Samoa/Cook Island/Maori roots,
Tutuki (Play the Beat) finds all the right balances; traditional but
not too provincial, funky but not too Western, polished but not too
slick. Frontman composer and co –producer Opetaia Foa’i has used his
instinctive feel for the innate beauty of the Pacific melody, along with
flawless production, to create a very spacious and elegant album.
A lyrically diverse collection, the opening ‘Samulai’ (Samurai)
addresses Japanese overfishing of the Pacific, but is almost reminiscent
of South African township jive, the deep male voices a counterpoint to
the delicate female backing. Elsewhere ‘Manu Samoa’ praises the
sporting/warrior talents of the Samoan culture, while ‘Tauale
Mataku”(Terrifying disease) is a moving tribute to the Pacific region’s
growing AIDS problem.
On several tracks the band unleashes their formidable and rhythmically
complex log drumming, and there’s no shortage of intense, thigh slapping
percussion on the brief Maori haka influenced track ‘Oku Tupuga’.
Strong, stylish and sweet, Tutuki is an inspired album that could
well prove to be Te Vaka’s most successful recording yet.
Seth Jordan
www.songlines.co.uk
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NEW
ZEALAND MUSICIAN August/September 2004
TE VAKA : Tutuki
World
Class! 14 tracks of Polynesian emotion in various Pacific languages,
including one in English. I have long enjoyed Te Vaka in live
performance and am a fan of leader/songwriter Opetaia Foa’i.
On ‘Tutuki’, he takes us with Te Vaka to their clarity of sound.
From the first pipe notes that dress your ears for the funkiness
of track one, Samulai, you will be driven musically to
feel the warmth of whanau love, intimacy, heart love and dance.
Vocally and instrumentally this is a fine recording performance.
Guest vocalists Annie Crummer and Chris Thompson are surrounded
by beauty from the lead vocals of Douglas Bernard (aka Fresh),
Sulata, Melodee Panapa, Opetaia Foa’i – just to name some of
the marvelous voices on this album. The instrumentalists too
give performances of ease and freshness. Te Vaka’s ‘Tutuki’gets
better with each listen. My favourite tracks? All of them. Out
on Warm Earth Records.
Mahinarangi Tocker
www.nzmusician.co.nz
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SPASIFIK MAGAZINE July/August 2004
Tutuki
Te Vaka
Warm Earth Records
Te Vaka just gets better and better. Their fourth album
Tutuki, won’t disappoint the hardest fans as once again
Opetaia Foa’i and his team of 10 deliver their beautiful
harmonies and drum beats from Tokelau, Tuvalu and Samoa blended
with contemporary guitar and keyboard sounds. Their songs vary
from the winsome to the impossible-to-sit-still upbeat sounds.
As with their previous albums, Te Vaka tackles serious issues
affecting the Pacific Islands. This album is dedicated to
raising awareness of HIV and AIDS, inspired by the bands
invitation to perform at a conference on the subject in Fiji 2
years ago. The haunting strains of Tauale Mataku, sung in
a mixture of English and Tokelau, is about this disease and the
impact it has on sufferers. Then big Japanese business
responsible for over-fishing parts of the Pacific is tackled in
Samulai. But not all the songs are heavy – there are dance
tracks that get you jumping in your seat if you’re not already
up dancing, including Manu Samoa.
But the best track is Aivoli Taoa. I have hit the replay
button about 100 times and I just love it more each time I hear
it. This album is a definite winner.
Inga Stunzner
www.spasifik.co.nz
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WORLDBEAT CANADA -
August 2004
Te Vaka - Tutuki
(Warm Earth Records)
Te Vaka means The
Canoe in the language of Tokelau, a small chain of islands deep
in the South Pacific. The band, Te Vaka takes their
inspirational cues from their forefathers; explorers who
traveled great distances by canoe. Their 11 members have come
together from all over Polynesia including Tokelau, Tuvalu,
Samoa, The Cook Islands and New Zealand offering what has been
described as “a stereotype smashing glimpse into the true soul
of the South Seas.Tutuki or 'The Beat' is their 4th album and it
solidifies them as the top group in all of Pacifica. There's
always been a child-like innocence in Te Vaka's sweet melodies,
further enhanced on the new album with the addition of the
voices of real children. This coming to the table with palms
pointed upward makes singer/songwriter Opetaia Foa'i's pleas all
the more poignant. He's tackled Polynesia's most pressing
concerns from environmental damage to racism and loss of culture
through encroachment. On Tutuki he points to the arrival of the
21st century's plague to the islands of paradise, AIDS. But
don't get me wrong, this disc is not a downer. In fact, it's as
bubbly as the sea foam on a sandy beach and as buoyant as the
outriggers the band took their name from. It's nearly impossible
to pick a favorite track. Start to finish it's quite simply one
of the best records of the year.
Worldbeat feature albums (Canada)
By Cal Koat
www.worldbeatcanada.com
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GLOBAL RHYTHM MAGAZINE
USANovember 2004
TE VAKA
Tutuki
Warm Earth WMCD 1005
With the increase of tourism and the rise of water levels due to
global warming, traditional Polynesian culture in the South
Pacific is under threat. Te Vaka, who sing mostly in Tokelau, an
indigenous New Zealand dialect, and perform to the pulsing sound
of the pate log drum, as well as other Polynesian and Western
instruments, is here to preserve and promote that culture. Their
latest album, Tutuki, combines tradition with innovation to
pioneer a new pan-Polynesian musical direction. Though based in
New Zealand, the band’s 11 members hail from all over the South
Pacific, and they come together here to blend their voices into
warm and earthy harmonies. Their lyrics speak of love, beauty
and tradition, while maintaining a contemporary feel. The title
track gives a good account Te Vaka’s uplifting harmonies, while
“Magalogalo” offers up vibrant and captivating rhythms. One can
almost feel the sea breezes, as Te Vaka takes you on a tour of
Polynesia.
Nathan Gilbert
www.globalrhythm.net
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FROOTS MAGAZINE UK October 2004
TE VAKA
Tutuki Warm Earth Records WMCD 1005
It’s 10 years since Opetaia Foaí first dreamt up the idea of Te
Vaka, his multi-cultural roots pop family band. Inspired by the
navigational skills of the ancient Lapita voyagers, who
discovered and settled islands scattered over vast parts of the
Pacific Ocean, Te Vaka have done a whole lot of traveling
themselves since, from their base in Auckland, New Zealand. In
the process they’ve become firm favourites with audiences in
Europe and North America, eventually bringing it all back home
with now-regular chart success in Polynesia.
Tutuki is their fourth album and shows no indication of
any desire to tamper with a successful formula. It’s the usual
mix of warmly swinging, heartfelt ballads and driving
disco-friendly workouts punctuated by rootsy staccato percussion
intervals, featuring their unique battery of log drums. Their
explosive power is best heard on the thrilling Lakilua,
with it’s infectiously ecstatic cries and satisfying, earthy
thunks on skin and wood. If there’s one difference, the
production seems crisper than their 2002 album Nukukehe,
highlighting those lovely sibling harmonies and Opetaia’s
considerable skills on acoustic guitar – best heard on the
gently surging Tauale Mataku. Opetaia handles the bulk of
the lead vocals too, apart from a couple of tunes from Sulata
Foai-Amiatu. New member Douglas Bernard duets with her on the
rather cloying Tamahana, which was composed for the movie
The Legend of Jonnny Lingo and is thus the only song
mainly in English. And even though the chants on Oku Tupuga
sound very like a traditional Maori haka, it’s an original haka
composed by Opetaia in the Tokelau language.
This is a confident album from a band who seem happy to stay in
more or less the same place while building on their strengths.
Regular fans will probably be more than happy with it, but those
hoping for something a little different will have to wait for
the pure percussion and Tuvalu language planned for release
after the next Te Vaka album. www.tevaka.com
Jon Lusk
FROOTS MAGAZINE UK www.frootsmag.com
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