A to Z

This is Atongo Zimba’s first international release after 14 years and he could not have re-entered the musical fray in a better way. Recorded in Ghana and richly produced, A to Z is just the ticket. The opening track, ‘Akwantuo’, starts in a relaxed jazzy blues-soul mood, which stretches for a minute and a half before launching into an absolute killer groove, driven by a combination of bass and drum that deserves a monument. After that, Zimba takes us on a trip through fine West African musical territory. The album features two good re-makes of older tunes, ‘Mama Cry in the Rain’ and a rap-infused version of the song that earned him enduring fame in Ghana, ‘In Heaven No Beer’. We are also treated to a gorgeous piece of highlife (‘Onipania’), he dishes out some poignant ecological commentary on ‘Clean Africa’ (about the plague of plastic bags that disfigures the African continent) and calls for religious tolerance on ‘When the Lord’. There are frequent nods to reggae and Afrobeat; after all, Atongo used to open for Fela’s shows at The Shrine back in the day…

It is true that the kologo, the two-stringed calabash instrument from northern Ghana that forms the backbone of his music gets somewhat buried under the lush production and one or two tracks go on a bit (like ‘Naam’, an extended jam session that could have done with a bit of editing) but frankly, these are minor gripes. A to Z is a winner.