Havili

The seventh album from veteran Pan¬Pacific group Te Vaka treads a similar path to their previous recordings – and that’s both its strength and weakness. Consummately professional, both in their live shows and in the studio, the family band’s successful combination of Tokelauan, Tuvaluan, Samoan and Aotearoan cultures is based around the songwriting talents of founder-songwriter-lead vocalist Opetaia Foa’i. As usual, his translated lyrics alternate between life-affirming themes and subtle political-environmental messages. But there’s also a sense of finite conclusion in these new songs – and indeed his liner notes state that his ‘goal right from the start was to do something musically for the South Pacific,’ and that that ‘goal has been reached, the canoe has arrived and my job is done. What this means for Te Vaka’s future remains to be seen.

Meanwhile this latest collection features a variety of Pacific moods. Lifted by sweet female backing vocals, love songs like ‘Taku Uo Pele’ and the gentle ‘Tu I Fea’ sway like palm trees. They’re interspersed with more energetic fare – the high-speed dance number ‘Logo Te Pate’ (Listen To The Pate), and ‘Luga Ma Lalo’ (Over and Under), a nod to the band’s adopted home of Australia, underpinned by a pulsing didgeridoo. And it wouldn’t be a Te Vaka album without a few tradition-based log-drum workouts (‘Vevela’, ‘Taumalo’ and ‘Puketu’). While not exploring any new directions, Havili (Breeze Blowing) continues the contemporary Pacific style that Te Vaka virtually invented. No surprises here, but it’s solid.