REVIEW: Little Bushman - Te Oranga

Little Bushman
Te Oranga
(Independent)
(out of 5)

Little Bushman return with their third album - not counting their masterful live recording with the NZSO - Te Oranga, in what seems to be a yet another fine example that good musicians just get exponentially better with time.

Maybe it’s the clean air in Featherston, the water from the Wairarapa ranges or the detachment from the craziness of the city that brings forth an intuitive approach to their sound. It shows not so much a signature of method, but footprints on a trail that needs no definitive destination - like a nature walk taken purely for the enjoyment of the sights, sounds and smells.

Te Oranga only has eight tracks, but each one is packed with enough of that quintessential magic Little Bushman is renowned for. The album sweetly combines Te Reo and English in many of the tracks, so seamlessly it won’t alienate non-native speakers.

Traditional Maori instruments like the koauau (small flute) and the poiawhiowhio (a whistling poi, swung on the end of a string), sit comfortably alongside the guitar, drums, and double bass. These four guys never fail to impress in recording or live, and it can only be put down to a chemistry of friendship, openness and a love and respect for the instruments that help them express their connection to the land, each other and us.

By Don Luchito