There are certain things that Kiwi artists seem to be able to deliver that is uniquely stamped with the Māna of these islands. Delivering a cover version of Louis Armstrong‘s globally iconic Wonderful World is surprisingly right up there – especially when it’s orchestrated as a gentle reggae/jazz blend, sung in Te Reo Māori and is performed using the singularly exceptional pipes of Ra Charmian Toia-Booth.

Papatuānuku He Ataahua Koe is a mellow, almost UB-40 beat, with some sweet rhythm and a lovely, not too loud but perfectly fat bottom end. Given Ra Charmian‘s jazzy vocal spin, and the complete dearth of English, this feels like an original. It feels that they thought about how this could sound different, utterly Māori and yet keep that legendary melody intact – albeit with a great, cheeky little twist from the lady. Really enjoyable vocal performance.

Fellow band member, husband of Ra Charmian, and well respected musician in his own right Hayden Booth, filmed the uncluttered, personal video. It’s shot between Ra performing to a studio mic, and at her late Dad’s Tangi (to the non-New Zealand readers, Tangi is the Māori tradition of the whānau – family – gathering at the Marae to farewell the deceased member of the family, celebrating their life in story, song, togetherness, love and sorrow). The passing of Ra and Hayden‘s Dads is what inspired the cover of the song. Their heritage is what compelled the Te Reo vocal and oh so Aotearoa mix. With fellow muso and friend Dixon Nacey they created the sound. It was then recorded at Titirangi’s Lopdell House studio, then mixed and mastered at the band’s home studio.

I’ve mentioned numerous times before that the languages of the Indigenous peoples of the world are keepers of knowledge from Elder Times. These languages are shaped around wiser societies than ours, and their very structure teaches us kinder ways. Te Reo, the language of Māori, and the elder tongue of these islands, must be protected and must be celebrated. We must not allow such treasures to be allowed to fade into memory, because memory itself fades. For this reason I applaud the use of Te Reo for this charming release.

The only word I can use to sum this song up is enchanting. This is one for the sunset, for the beach. For the Tangi. For whānau, be they blood or spirit. Get among it!