Music And Arts Scene
African Records Review
By Kwabena Asamoah
PAT THOMAS & EBO TAYLOR: (DANNYTONE RECORDS 002) 'Oye Odo' 'Bue Me'/'Amponsah' 'Benya Amanze'
The Ghanaian hi-life pair of Pat Thomas and Ebo Taylor have made several prestigious materials together. Some say that the good guitar and arrangements from Ebo make Pat what he is; others too think that Ebo plays better when Pat takes the microphone. What that means to the uncommitted is that the two work together better than with any other musicians on the Ghanaian scene.It has however, taken the two a bit too long to make themselves felt since African music began to reverberate seriously in the West. Pat Thomas' 'Asante Kotoko' could have made an impact if it was put in the right sleeve and well promoted.
This new Dutch import is well sleeved and carries only four tracks. But what counts here is the style of play and arrangements. All the four are definitely Ebo Taylor's arrangements not to mention the words. Some may complain that his arrangements have become stale (maybe he needs to change a bit) but 'Bue me' is an extraordinary piece employing all the ingredients and feel of good hi-life. Pat too gives his best on the vocals.
'Amponsah' is Ebo's version of ever-popular 'Yaa Amponsah' -the tune which every Ghanaian group must learn in order to pass the test. It is not a particularly good one but George Amissah's sax solo dwarfs any apparent weaknesses if there are any.
The top and bottom of 'Benya Amanze' sounds like a 'loan' from the; good old Kakaiku but the middle definitely belongs to Ebo, that Cape Coast lad who left St Augustine's College after sixth form to pursue music. For one reason or the other he does not release any of his devilish guitar solos which made Stargazers Dance Band fans weep with joy in the early sixties.
Hi-life music can take off but on condition that the music is recorded in up-to-date studios. This album is no exception but the hi-life feel is still there. The pair have got a lot of reputation and this album will either reinforce or effeminate their class.
BORN AGAIN GOSPEL BAND: '2000 Years Ago, Odo Ben Ni?' (BAEM 001) 'Abaawa Sara' 'Ohunea Woye' 'Odo Ben Ni?' 'Yoshua'/'Obetumi Aye' 'Onipa Wawiee' 'Komm Na Maye'
The pop scene in Ghana has recently succumbed to religious music for various reasons and that has therefore been a proliferation of church groups determined to hook on to the opportunity arising out of the vacuum. The 'music brain drain' still goes on but 'home based' musicians continue to make use of the limited resources available for recording. One such group is the Born Again Gospel Band who have resolved to spread the word of God with this debut album. This is of course their major attempt because their two previous works could only be released on cassettes in Ghana.All that glitters is not gold. The album sleeve design is not one of the best but appearances should not deceive. The music and songs compiled on the album are well constructed to please and to inspire.
The Born Again Gospel Band uses various music forms to achieve their objective: from slow spiritual hi-life ('Odo Ben Ni?' and 'Onipa Wawiee') reggae-based inspirational singing ('Obetumi Aye' and 'Ohunea Woye'), adowa ('Yoshua') to brisk spiritual hi- life ('Komm Na Maye' and 'Abaawa Sara').
The guitars swear to play and the voices echo pretty well as all the tracks portray. Except the keyboards, the sound separation of the other instruments and voices are not problems as you would normally expect from the over-used Ghana Film Corporation studios in Accra. The production has no major flaws thanks to the engineers and Kwame Anokye-Toku, the leader of the Band.
