King Ayisoba
Work Hard
Glitterbeat (GBCD/LP134)
17 February 2023
While King Ayisoba is perhaps an unknown name to many here in the UK, in his homeland of Ghana, the man, whose given birth name is Albert Apoozore, is considered somewhat of a musical icon.
Hailing from the north-east of the country, the ethnic centre of the Frafra people, this is the heartland of kologo music, the kologo, as played by Ayisoba, being a simple, two-stringed calabash covered in goat skin. On this release, his uncompromising lyrics, stridently delivered in Frafra, Twi or his own idiosyncratic form of pidgin English, appear, in translation, to deal with contemporary social and political issues and, at times, to be hectoring both his community and national leaders in what might be construed as an over-zealous fervour.
The majority of the recording and mixing was undertaken, as on previous albums, by Francis Ayamga at his hilltop Top Link studio in Bongo, a town bordering Burkina Faso, with erstwhile collaborator, Zea¸(Arnold de Boer), once again providing key contributions, mixing two tracks, curating and mastering the album and even providing vocals and guitar parts from his Katzwijn Studios in the Netherlands.
Having originally secured his fame through his updating of traditional styles, Ayisoba has not been one to rest upon his laurels; his desire to further push boundaries and experiment has been a consistent feature of his development. Described as a “shamanic performer”, Work Hard presents as an often raw-sounding melding of kologo basslines, Ghanaian drums, repetitively infectious rhythms and beats, and heavy doses of electronica, with variation and variety provided by the many Ghanaian guest contributors lending, at times, a hip-hop dimension known locally as hiplife, a blend of highlife and hip-hop. Firmly to the fore, however, remains the uniquely rasping, harsh voice of the King himself as he delivers his lyrics with a profoundly single-minded intensity.
From the off, the opening track Good Things God Knows sets out the stall for what this release has to offer, both musically and lyrically. Topped and tailed by children’s voices, and imbued with eccentric electronic manipulations, compelling beats and balafon-sounding shimmers, the subject matter addresses the admonishment of corrupt leaders, a recurring motif in his writing. Rappers Ras Kuuku and Twinkle add to the proceedings, as the words reflect on the fact that any judgement on wrong-doing will be meted out by a much higher, omnipotent power than mere mortals.
With Bossi Labome, the first single taken from the album, Ayisoba continues to pull no punches with his subject matter. The upbeat tone of the music, with its deep bass, sinuous rhythms and kologo scratches, belies the seriousness of the lyrics, raucously delivered and involving call-and-response between King and guest Awilo One, which warns about adultery within his society while also acknowledging the unequal position of women, who are poorly treated and often punished for adultery while men are praised and lauded by their peers for similar acts, the song affirms that “It doesn’t have to be like this!”
The following tracks continue to evidence the somewhat proselytising and dogmatic nature of his lyrics. People Talk Too Much, a song recorded in 2017 in the aforementioned de Bollensreek Katzwijm studio, and released as the second single, is a frenetic, busy song built around repetitive, hypnotic beats and featuring vocals, in Frafra, from almost the whole of the band touring Europe with Ayisobe at the time. With the title explaining all, his message is simple; actions speak louder than words, do more, talk less. The instructions issued in Namba Sonne are similarly straightforward. The title translates as “Good King”, and this song, featuring Atamina (aka Prof.Atamina), is akin to an instructional manual on how to be a good king, outlining both what should be done, e.g. “be peace loving” and what not, “not corrupt”. Here, flute lines and intense hand-drum beats accompany the rough, coarse and imploring vocals. Flute also features strongly on Tribe, another song with a captivating rhythmic groove, along with some endearing vocoded vocals and synth, to create a psychedelic-tinged effect. Here, Ayisobe turns to the theme of advising that all parents teach children their own local languages.
There is no let up with Adinooma, an excellent call-and-response song featuring an almost dub reggae opening, complicated, multi-layered textures and urgent repetition of “adenu-nmah” line, within which the message concerns lifestyles, in particular exhorting everyone to eat healthy foods and undertake regular exercise.
The electronic beats, cuts, samples and snippets pieced together into the ever-changing polyrhythmic assault on the ears that is Abome provides the musical element to a song which uses a parable of a hunter and a rat to issue what sleeve notes describe as a cautionary tale, although, for some, Ayisoba’s assertion that “we should be very very circumspect when helping anyone who runs to us for a help”, might be problematic. Similar misgivings might also be held with regard to Kokoko Enter. Whilst undoubtedly saturated with a joyous, almost carnival atmosphere, courtesy of sampled steel-band, a catchy melody, underscored with more electronic bleeps and squonks, and soaring brass samples, one cannot help but feel a little uncomfortable with his statement that “this song teaches our leaders to fill all porous borders which people from other African countries enter when just with a knock “KO-KO-KO“.
The album closes with Buri Malima. Espousing the importance of maintaining and passing on cultural traditions through the generations, the rolling rhythms here are provided, in the main, by local horn and traditional talking drum group Kuul-Kanarise /Gulkanatesi, whose regal playing (they play at the enthronement and funerals of kings and queens), alongside the kologo, flute and goje, make for a powerful musical statement.
For those open to hearing Kologo sounds being taken down experimental routes, King Ayisoba‘s frenetic Work Hard, as with his most recent releases, is worth investigating.
Listen via digital services: https://idol-io.link/WorkHard
Order via Bandcamp: https://ayisoba.bandcamp.com/album/work-hard