Ghana Special 2: Electronic Highlife & Afro Sounds in the Diaspora, 1980–93 is a compilation album released by Soundway Records on 10 May 2024. The compilation collects highlife, a style of music from Ghana, which underwent a shift to more electronic styles in the 1980s.
| Ghana Special 2: Electronic Highlife & Afro Sounds in the Diaspora, 1980–93 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Compilation album by Various artists | |
| Released | 10 May 2024 |
| Genre | Highlife, burger highlife |
| Length | 1:51:52 |
| Label | Soundway |
Background and release
editGhana Special 2 is the sequel to Ghana Special: Modern Highlife, Afro-Sounds & Ghanaian Blues 1968–1981, a compilation of Ghanaian highlife released by Soundway in 2009.[1]
By the late 1970s, economic recession and political instability had led many Ghanaians to emigrate.[2] David Hutcheon of Mojo writes that "in Ghana, the venerated highlife giants were replaced by punks who could record quickly and cheaply using synths. Many of them were based in Europe or North America".[3] Performing music in Ghana was also made more difficult by high tariffs on recording equipment.[3] This led to diverse hybrid styles of highlife, such as burger highlife, being made by the Ghanaian diaspora.[4] Ghana Special 2 collects highlife from this period, up to the Ghanaian return to democracy in 1993.
The tracks on this compilation tend to run longer than those on the first volume, because they are generally taken from LP or cassette releases rather than 45s.[4] Some of the featured artists, like Pat Thomas and Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, were well known in Ghana before the 1980s, while others became well known for playing highlife in new ways.[5]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 78/100[6] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Mojo | [3] |
| PopMatters | 7/10[7] |
| Songlines | [8] |
Paul Simpson of AllMusic described the compilation as "documenting an era in which [Ghana's] music was heavily influenced by post-disco and boogie, new wave, and Caribbean sounds such as zouk and soca."[4] He found the best track to be "Barima Nsu" by Kwasi Afari Minta, which he called a "hypnotic and haunting ten-minute whirlwind".[4]
David Hutcheon of Mojo rated the album 4/5 stars, saying "the bulk of this collection of outsider art holds up 30-plus years on."[3] PopMatters rated the compilation 7/10, calling it "a brilliant slice of pop music history, telling stories of movement and innovation via irresistible grooves."[7]
Track listing
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| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ebe Ye Yie Ni" | The Godfathers | 6:06 |
| 2. | "Gye Wani" | Pat Thomas | 5:24 |
| 3. | "M.C. Mambo" | Pepper, Onion, Ginger & Salt | 5:16 |
| 4. | "Adjoa Amisa" | Andy Vans | 8:34 |
| 5. | "Kaakyire Nua" | George Darko | 7:54 |
| 6. | "Obiara Bewu" | Rex Gyamfi | 6:49 |
| 7. | "Anoma Koro" | Starlite | 9:19 |
| 8. | "Alaiye" | Abdul Raheem | 4:26 |
| 9. | "Asafo" | Jon K | 4:46 |
| Total length: | 58:34 | ||
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Barima Nsu" | Kwasi Afari Minta | 10:10 |
| 2. | "Otanhunu" (feat. Ata Kak) | Marijata | 7:34 |
| 3. | "Apple" | Gyedu-Blay Ambolley | 6:05 |
| 4. | "Jigi Jigi" | Dadadi | 4:58 |
| 5. | "Fre Me (Call Me)" | Charles Amoah | 6:21 |
| 6. | "New Dance" | Ernest Honny | 4:03 |
| 7. | "Sii Nana" | Bessa Simons | 5:47 |
| 8. | "Mumude" | Nan Mayen | 3:18 |
| 9. | "Asobrachie" | Nana Budjei | 5:02 |
| Total length: | 53:18 | ||
Personnel
edit- Dan Elleson – restoration, mastering
- Lewis Heriz and Meurig Rees – artwork
References
edit- ^ Joe Tangari (2009-11-09), "Ghana Special (review)", pitchfork.com, Pitchfork, retrieved 2024-05-21
- ^ James Balmont (2022-07-05), "'Everything felt new': the cross-cultural joy of Ghana's 'burger highlife' music", theguardian.com, The Guardian, archived from the original on 2022-07-05, retrieved 2024-05-25
- ^ a b c d David Hutcheon (June 2024). "Ghana Special 2 (review)". Mojo. No. 367. p. 98.
- ^ a b c d e Paul Simpson. Ghana Special, Vol 2 (review) at AllMusic
- ^ Banning Eyre, "Ghana Special 2 (review)", afropop.org, Afropop Worldwide, retrieved 2024-05-16
- ^ "Ghana Special, Vol. 2 by Various Artists", metacritic.com, Metacritic, retrieved 2024-05-25
- ^ a b Adriane Pontecorvo (2024-05-21), "'Ghana Special 2' Chronicles an Innovative Chapter in Highlife History", popmatters.com, PopMatters, archived from the original on 2024-05-21, retrieved 2024-05-22
- ^ a b Liam Izod (July 2024), "Ghana Special 2 (review)", songlines.co.uk, Songlines, retrieved 2024-06-20
- ^ Joe Tangari (2003-06-15), "Ghana Soundz: AfroBeat, Funk & Fusion in 70s Ghana", pitchfork.com, Pitchfork, retrieved 2024-06-20