Wawu

A Yalanji woman from Far North Queensland, singer Deline Briscoe has previously sung with her siblings in the Briscoe Sisters, was a member of indigenous all-star group Black Arm Band, and more recently played an integral part in the Mission Songs Project, which chronicled songs from 20th-century Aboriginal reserves. But on Wawu, Briscoe emerges in her own right both as a singer and a songwriter. While her English and Yalanji lyrics speak of life's hardships, family separation traumas and even abusive relationships, there's a pervasive sense of maintaining positivity and overcoming problems, as expressed on ‘Human Experience’. Briscoe is backed by other excellent musicians, special mention should be made to the sensitivity of pianist Stephen Maxwell and drummer/co-producer Airileke Ingram. Guests include the re-formed indigenous female trio Tiddas who enhance the song ‘Ignorance is Bliss’, and award-winning jazz pianist Andrea Keller on the superb ‘Sonrise’.

With her own jazz-influenced vocals moving from tenderly compassionate to raw and gutsy, Briscoe encompasses a wide emotional range, culminating in her soaring ode to creation ‘Tree’. On ‘Ngadijina’ she delivers a moving spoken-word recitation of her grandmother's memories of the ‘Stolen Generation’ – witnessing her family being taken away by police. Wawu – a Yalanji word encompassing spirit, heart and love – is a triumph.