For singer-songwriter Okaidja Afroso, tradition is a living thing. His music demonstrates and strengthens this notion. The second release in his Ancient Africa Wisdom trilogy, Àbòr Édín sees him arrange elements from Gãdangmé roots music, Afro-jazz (itself a form often traced back to Gãdangmé performers like drummer Guy Warren and highlife master E.T. Mensah), and other art, pop, and folk music styles from across the Ghanaian diaspora into bright and fully realized compositions marked by intricate instrumentation and buoyant vocals. From start to finish, Àbòr Édín moves forward with a light heart and a strong sense of purpose, making it not only a record of serious substance but a true delight.
More than most albums that claim fusion status, Àbòr Édín delivers a genuinely seamless blend of different styles, each track dense with color and meaning. All the way through, Afroso works mainly with unplugged sounds, allowing for more nuance and giving even the tightest compositions room to breathe. The sweet, guitar-centered acoustics of palm wine music are foundational to most of the songs, beginning with Brazilian-influenced opener “Fóó Tè”, as are warm vocal harmonies.
Indeed, it’s an ample-sounding ensemble that supports Afroso’s impassioned lead, though one that is always balanced, consistently building gradually and sustainably. They mesh together in beautiful synchrony, bright without being glaring, soft without sacrificing strength. Afroso’s background in theater and dance undoubtedly contributes to this; the aural choreography of the performers here makes for fluid, organic melodic contours.
Inspiring Okaidja Afroso’s work are many dimensions of past-present continuities. The album’s title translates to “melanin earth garden”, invoking ideas of reciprocal relationships between places and people, emphasizing notions of Africa. Afroso sounds a rich cosmology of nature and ancestry that makes space for joy, sorrow, and reflection: he mourns his father on “Jojo”, warns against thoughtless wasting of natural materials on “Nō Tsámór”, and venerates Mother Earth on “Àtsii Nū Naa” and “Black Soil Woman”, all key examples of what he grows in his musical garden. More than anything, Afroso’s lyrics hope for healing on many interconnected levels, and with such a thoroughly unified mix of music and its practitioners, he can model peace through words and sonic deeds.
Okaidja Afroso’s artistic and social vision is strong and clear on Àbòr Édín. Even in its sparsest moments–the stripped-down percussion and voice of meditative “Kasoa” or the resonant a capella lines of “Woowoti”, for example – the record is filled with forward-thinking, finding a way forward that is lined with luscious, acoustic music. The vibes are not cutting edge in the sense of sonic shock and awe, but Afroso is nonetheless an innovator for the way he combines different elements and makes something new and objectively beautiful. He flows between many different nodes of the global African diaspora and never loses sight of where his music has come from or where he wants it to go. As he venerates the ancient, Afroso considers the future and makes sounds that can fit anywhere along the way.