One of the biggest challenges facing any ambitious reggae/dub collective
in this small corner of the globe is the lazy tendency to tar the music with
the dreaded (no pun) “BBQ reggae” brush. It has become almost something of a
default critics’ starting point, and newcomers especially are tasked to come up
with something rather special if they wish to be taken seriously.
Christchurch-based seven-piece One Waka just about manage to achieve that on
this follow-up to their 2012 debut South Bay Sessions. Dub Sea Voyages seeks to
celebrate all things whanau, all things local, and for the most part One Waka’s
music avoids the critical traps. There’s a strong focus on identity and place
throughout, and each of these songs has its own special variation on less generic
reggae forms, thanks in large part to the use of te reo Maori, moteatea
(chants), traditional instruments like the koauau (flute), plus a wider sense
that having fun is paramount over everything else when it comes to making
music. (“We’re living like kings in the Golden Bay.”) The rootsy instrumental ‘JD’
and the Exodus-referencing ‘Te Tapuae o Uenuku’ are genuine stand-outs on a
12-track album largely without filler. Occasionally they do come across as
being too earnest, particularly with some of the lyrics (eg. the cliché “simmer
down, no need to fuss and fight” on ‘Rockers’), and a few tunes would benefit
from being shortened a little – a couple catch a second wind which really
doesn’t carry them anywhere. But those complaints are minor.
This review was originally published in the December 2016/January 2017
issue of NZ Musician magazine.
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