Debut single for Porirua’s Tavita & Bay Road, we are in MOTOWN ’24! What a funky number!

Led by Samoan/Pakeha Tavita De Seymour vocalist, I was transported to the Midnight Special, Soul Train, you name it! Fused by a Flanger-dripping bass that absolutely screams Stevie Wonder‘s mega-hit Superstitious, this is a funkalicious trip through an homage to one of the true behemoths of global music – Soul-funk.

It’s a lively number with a decent, danceable tempo. There’s shades of Chic with the guitar, sitting low but detectable in the mix. Brilliantly balanced BVs highlight the vocal talent this combo obviously has in spades. Tavita‘s vocal is a crystal tenor that absolutely owns the melody. I couldn’t praise the quality of the vocal delivery enough, to be honest.

This is a track that will work live, at a club, a family event, wedding, anywhere! On a drive with the gang. BBQ. Name it – this works. Recorded at Wellington’s Surgery Studios with producer / engineer Toby Lloyd and mastered by Mike Gibson, the behind the scenes polishers have done justice to this. It’s loud, brazen yet not abrasive. Fun and commercial yet not sugary.

Tavita explains that it’s actually about a family that to the outsider looks like the perfect post-nuclear age family, but on the inside is falling apart at the seams. In the EPK Tavita explains: “It’s about a traditional family that appears normal from the outside but is imploding from the inside. Each family member is struggling with issues such as addiction, loneliness, debt, and getting mixed up with the wrong crowd. Some have found hope in love and inner peace, whilst others have a way to go.”

For a debut single this is outrageously strong. I’m looking forward to more from this band. Get me their next one – yesterday!