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Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars: Radio Salone
Sixteen great new tracks from Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars. -
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, Amadou et Mariam: Folila
Amadou and Mariam continue their foray into fusing their Malian styles with the sounds of western artists. -
Nneka: Soul Is Heavy
Nigerian-German soulstress channels her inner neo-soul star on her latest release -
Sauti Sol: Sol Filosofia
Kenyan, Afro-fusion outfit Sauti Sol continue their exploration of all things "pop." -
KG Omulo: Ayah Ye!: Moving Train
A synergy of funk, rock, reggae and traditional African sounds from this inventive, young singer/songwriter. -
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Various Artists: The Kankobela of the Batonga, Vol. 2
Mysterious melodies from a disappearing thumb piano tradition of Southern Africa. -
Kiran Ahluwalia: Aam Zameen: Common Ground
Indo-Canadian Songwriter Combines Folk Poetry with African Rock, Jazz and more -
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Sona Jobarteh: FASIYA
West African female kora virtuoso releases an album full of grace, warmth, and passion. -
Sia Tolno: My Life
Kissi singer releases a strong second album full of pop-infused star power over songs of strife and triumph.
Maybe one reason that highlife has given way to gospel, reggae, and quasi hip-hip in West Africa is that the living there isn't so "high" there anymore. It was just that in the early 20th century when this ebullient, optimistic genre was born amid top-hats and flowing champagne in trendy urban nightclubs in places like Accra and Lagos, which had just discovered the new music bubbling up in the U.S. and the Caribbean. Africanizing swing jazz, calypso and Afro Cuban sounds, highlife spread all over West Africa, reaching its height in Ghana and Nigeria in the 1970s. The fact that Afropop fans still revere highlife while West Africans have largely relegated it to the past represents is a stark disconnect, but it comes with the territory. This joyful music says one thing to a New Yorker kicking back in the apartment on a Friday night, and something quite different to a poor guy in Accra, struggling for the next meal in a tough economy that never achieved the dreams of the early independence era. Taste is a complicated thing, but on straight musical terms, highlife has heart and swing to spare, and once again, the Rough Guide has put together a set of tracks that makes the case for the genre beautifully.
There are a number of classic recordings from bands that pioneered modern highlife starting in the early 1950s. E.T. Mensah shows why they called him the "king of highlife" with his golden voice and swinging horn arrangement on "Medzi Medzi." TO Jazz's "Agyeman Baidoo" is another winner from Ghana's early days [This is the track sampled for this review]. Thomas Osei Ampoumah sings with a giddy cry, on the edge of breaking with joy? With melancholy? Perhaps both at the same time. Nana Ampadu & The African Brothers' "Bona Biara So Wo Akatua" is not the best recording, but its call and response vocals and simmering rhythm, with the infused sense of Cuban clavé are worth it.
Speaking of clavé, some of the early tracks here clearly demonstrate the Cuban input to this music. Celestine Ukwu of Nigeria kicks off this collection with a strong example in the song "Igede." The sax line, along with the congas and vibes, go in a Latin direction, but the guitar is moving in a straighter rhythmic line, edging toward the quintessential highlife groove still taking shape.
The most modern of these 15 tracks are a mixed bag. The rich production on Alex Konadu's Congo flavored "Asare" is lovely, transcending his potentially deadly use of gushing keyboards. George Darko's "Highlife Time" is more of a dud. No problem that this Ghanaian expatriate veers towards soul and funk, but the rigid drum machine backing spoils the feel. There are some promising new highlife acts emerging these days, and we can always hope for a revival. Meanwhile, tasty compilations like this one are still a good bet.
Contributed by Banning Eyre for www.afropop.org
