Whirimako Black is well respected for her deliveries in her native language, te reo Maori. Albums immersed in her proud culture include ‘Hine Pukohurangi :- Shrouded in Mist’ (2001) and ‘Kura Huna’ (‘Hidden Treasures’) (2005) and now she focuses on Whirimako Black – the voice.
In the midst of her journey with ‘The Late Night Plays’, Whirimako delves deeper into her soul and broadens her musical palette for a global audience. What emerges is an expansive range of vocal expression that commands and captures each song with a sense of singular beauty. Not only has Whirimako chosen to turn back the clock and cover a range of songs from contemporary to popular standards, she has also captured the creativity of the live sessions held at Auckland's Roundhead Studios. No overdubs included here, with production values of a bygone era – the results are staggering.
She covers songs made popular by; Nancy Wilson, Billie Holiday, Etta James, Erykah Badu, Leonard Cohen, U2, Joni Mitchell, Al Green, Sting, Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis and Stevie Wonder.
Black's staggering and emotive deliveries on ‘Late Night Plays’ will launch her into a wider market, and Aotearoa will be the richer for it.