''The Islander'' is a 1998 album by

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

singer-songwriter

Dave Dobbyn Sir David Joseph Dobbyn (born 3 January 1957) is a New Zealand musician, singer–songwriter and record producer. In his early career he was a member of the rock group Th' Dudes and was the main creative force in pop band DD Smash. Since then he ...

. It reached #1 on the New Zealand music charts.

Background

The album's title comes from Dobbyn's reflection what it is to be a New Zealander: "I've come to terms with the fact that I'm a Pacific Islander a long time ago. There's nothing vaguely European about me apart from the colour of my skin. So I've called it The Islander because it's a stamp of identity."

Track listing

Critical reception

The album has been described as "quintessentially New Zealand" with Dobbyn at the peak of his talents. It is also noted as a culmination of the directness of his pub-rock

DD Smash DD Smash was a New Zealand pop/rock band formed in 1980 by Dave Dobbyn after the breakup of Th' Dudes. The band briefly used the name "Dave Dobbyn's Divers" until drummer Peter Warren came up with "DD Smash". Dobbyn says the name "seemed to say ...

work and later rock albums, while 'Hallelujah Song' signals the start of his Christian influences in future releases.

Credits

* Bass – Alan Gregg (tracks: 1, 5, 8, 11), Bill McDonald (tracks: 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 13) * Drums –

Peter Luscombe Peter Luscombe is an Australian drummer and composer. Career Luscombe was a member of The Black Sorrows from 1985 to 1993 appearing on the albums ''A Place in the World'' (1986), ''Dear Children'' (1987), ''Hold on to Me'' (1988), ''Harley and ...

(tracks: 2 to 4, 6, 7, 9, 12, 13), Ross Burge (tracks: 1, 5, 8, 11) * Guitar – Dave Dobbyn (tracks: 1 to 12),

Neil Finn Neil Mullane Finn (born 27 May 1958) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician who is known for being a member of Crowded House, Split Enz (which he co-fronted with brother Tim), and Fleetwood Mac. Finn rose to prominence in the late ...

(tracks: 5, 6, 12) * Harmonica – Dave Dobbyn (tracks: 5, 12, 13) * Organ urlitzer– Dave Dobbyn (tracks: 4, 7, 8) * Percussion – Michael Barker (2) (tracks: 1, 7, 8, 11), Peter Luscombe (tracks: 2 to 4, 6, 7, 9) * Piano – Dave Dobbyn (tracks: 1, 5, 9, 12, 13) * Producer, Vocals – Dave Dobbyn * Recorded By, Mixed By – Sam Gibson

External links

Discography: The Islander (davedobbyn.co.nz)
track-by-track breakdown of songs
Essential New Zealand Albums: The Islander
Radio New Zealand show

Review by Martin Bell, Real Groove Magazine, September 1998.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Islander, The Dave Dobbyn albums 1998 albums