The Guitar And The Gun

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Sample Album
ALBUM INFORMATION

Total Tracks: 13   Total Length: 66:17

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Insani-Ty

The various guitars strumations and classic feeling make this album a pop astroid shower of Ghana love songs. With about four solid-sounding tunes, a handful of songs that contain a fair amount of cultural relevance and alot of guitar picking in a style we all know from around the way; in the barrio, the word on the street, Carnicerias with five star food, and car radios. Pick up song one for its relevance to song two, "Mama Shile Oga," or listen to the bouncy sound that hooked my ear-- track 6 "Oh Papa," the best song on the album. Finally listen to all the songs and pick the four or five that sound the most fun, because that is what this album really intends to do: jazz up a simmering night at home with a playful and pop-traditional fun time. The last song, "Nyame Bowade" is fast paced and of true Ganha sound. This disc is a benefit of a musical community that has so much to offer, and so much of it shows up here.

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They Say All Media Guide

The local highlife music scene in Ghana nearly perished due to the economic adversity (and the institution of severe curfews) that came in the wake of Jerry Rawlings’ military coup in the early ’80s. Many clubs, music centers, and studios were forced to close, but somehow Bokoor Studio was able to keep the tapes rolling, thanks mostly to John Collins, who recorded and produced the tracks found on The Guitar and Gun. Originally released on vinyl in two volumes, this digital reissue collects most (but not all) of the cuts found on the initial releases. Highlights include the relaxed vocals and rolling percussion of Salaam And His Cultural Imani Group on “Moko Baba” and “Ekee Obi Le,” which charmingly combine palm-wine music with a kind of jug band mentality. Samuel Paa Gyimah’s bright guitar work (on “Oh Papa” by F. Kenya’s Guitar Band) skitters and flies at the speed of light itself. The African doo wop of the Genesis Gospel Singers on “Momma Mo Akoma Ntutu,” which opens the album, is a particular delight with its easy, rolling pace. Aside from its historical value, The Guitar and Gun is recommended for the strength of the music, produced under adverse conditions, and the careful sequencing, which allows it to breathe and shine. The only negative is that some of the tracks from the original two-volume vinyl set are missing here, undoubtedly due to time constraints. – Steve Leggett

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