Control

Ambolley comes from the coastal twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi in the western region of Ghana and his impressive career has seen a total of 29 album releases and frequent international performances. He began his professional career in 1973 and is still active, both in the studio and on live tours, performing his own brand of music, called Simigwa-Do. Control is an album of relaxed, jazzy highlife with a cool funk edge. It was made at a time in which Ambolley was embracing a more electronic sound with a new band.

Typical of the early 80s is the synthesizer backing and persistent, somewhat annoying electronic syndrums. There is some impressive saxophone and trumpet soloing throughout, and the vocal approach is like a cross between Fela and Gil Scott-Heron – without Fela's pithy politicising and Gil's radically conscious poetry. Hit song ‘The Message (God is Love)’ reflects Ambolley's Christian commitment in a very funky way. Incidentally on the rear of the sleeve he is referred to as the ‘Black Jesus.’