Kyeremateng Stars

For the next selection on the highlife turntable, I have selected the track Wakae Ne Nna off a 1988 Kyerematen Stars Band release on Okyerema Records.  I've written about the Kyeremateng Atwedee before and am always on the hunt for his music.

This LP had two bonuses:  the great Baffour Kyei is the lead vocalist and the vinyl is orange colored.  This song showcases some great vocals and has a number of nice guitar lines and horn blasts.  Check out the sax playing in the middle of the song and the trumpet towards the end of the song.  The liner notes list Paa Akrashi as the trumpeter, Sammy Odo on Sax, and Ralph Karikari on bass guitar.  The backing vocalists are Water Proof, Talata, Nana Adwoa, Nana Yaw and Nana Osei. Altogether a solid piece.  I hope you like it

Kojo N'dah

For the next selection on the highlife turntable I have selected two tracks, Ewule Ko Ye and Soldier by Kojo N'dah off a Papa Disco release titled Kojo N'Dah.  I do not have a lot of information on this performer.  I first came across his name on a T.O. Jazz LP Welcome Ojukwu, where he was listed as a background vocalist.  I liked his voice so I started looking for records by him, but the few records I was able to find had a pop Ghanaian sound that was not all that interesting.

But these two songs really stood out for me as they showcase his vocals beautifully and have that driving uptempo late 70's Ghanaian guitar rhythm I really love.  I think the Ewule Ko Ye track is a little tighter, but the Soldier track is longer and has several nice guitar stretches.  I could not decide which song really did the man justice so I decided to post both tracks.  I hope you like them.