Album Review: Te Whakamiha

Te Whakamiha is the newest eight track album from the multitalented Anna Coddington. Named after a loose translation of her band The Appreciations, this album is fun, groovy, and incredibly danceable. Switching between the English and te reo Maori lyrics is so smooth and natural in Coddington’s distinct style! Loosely self-described as “Maori Funk,” this album is unapologetically so. Te Whakamiha is entirely created in te reo Maori, with only a few additions of English in the lyrics, and it is the first of Coddington’s projects to have been done so. Even the release date, the 28th of June, is the same day as the public holiday of Matariki, celebrating the Maori new year.

The first single off of the album and the first up on the track list is Katuarehe. Katuarehe is the perfect overture to the entire project with it being groovy, guitar led, and drum driven. Coddington’s vocals are smooth and buttery, the guitar has the typical funk grove to it, and the percussion adds so much depth to the grove!

The song Call Your Mother comes right after the midpoint of the album and continues to hone the energy curated throughout the entire track list. The gang vocals, claps, and grove at the end is such an infectious energy.

An absolute stand out for me on this track is the final song and second single on the album, Mohou Ra (roughly translating to ‘for you’). The beginning of the song is lush with guitar riffs, leaning more into funk-influenced indie-pop, and by the end of the song is packed with layered vocals, creating an uplifting end to what was already such a danceable, upbeat album.