Customer Reviews

The Royal Tahitian Dance Company - Songs & Dances of Tahiti

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Following vacations in French Polynesia and the Cook Islands, I bought quite a few CDs of South Pacific music to help me recall the sights and sounds of paradise. Over the ensuing years, I have gotten of rid most of the discs because they are either too modern and slick (Warning: watch out for "Bimbo and His Royal Tahitians" on Playa; they sound like a night club act), too heavily dominated by drums, or (in some cases) too amateurish. This CD has had good staying power because it sounds authentic but with just enough polish and has a good mix of styles and rhythms. I can imagine those palm trees and hips swaying!

I spent significant time in the South Seas and Tahiti. I've heard a lot of CD's attempt to capture authentic Tahitian music. This is the best of them all. The performances are heartfelt and authentic. I have this on vinyl and am thrilled to now have the CD. "Miri Iti" and "E Maru Rahi" are haunting ballads. "Parihi Marite" and "Ua Hiti Te Marama" are rhythmic chorale serenades, lustily delivered in the fashion I often witnessed while feasting with Tahitians on the beaches of Bora Bora...When the snow piles up outside my window in New York, I listen to these songs in the warmth of my living room and my soul drifts back to Tahiti. Awesome stuff.