World Music Short Takes:

by J. Pepper

Deline Briscoe, Wawu (Gaba Musik, 2019)

Australian artist Deline Briscoe steps forward with her album Wawu. Based in the Yalanji word encompassing the concepts of spirit, heart, love, and connections between people, land, past, present, and future, the album portrays a story of four generations of women from one family: Deline, her daughter Jadamali, her mother and her mother’s mother – Ngadijina. Sung in Yalanji language as well as English, the album is a triumphant reassurance that through strength and perseverance, you can overcome. Briscoe has a buoyant and well-versed voice, able to convey each song with an emotive feeling of redemption. The title track “Wawu,” is highlighted with a soul-based groove that begins with an almost prayer-like blessing with Briscoe’s soaring vocals colorizing the brief introduction. “Sonrise” offers an introspective ballad that further highlights the beauty of Briscoe’s voice, her crystalline tone is filled with pensive gentleness that allows the listener to experience the calmness of a morning awakening. The closer “Need Your Love,” offers a caressing rhythmic pliability provided by percussionist Airileke Ingram. Briscoe waxes poetically about the non-materialist desires of love. Briscoe may be a new name to several markets, but it appears this Australian export is quickly catching on.