Dytomite Starlite Band of Ghana

Although the identities of the musicians playing on this album are a complete mystery (such is the joy of old vintage collections), if you're looking for classic, early 80s Ghanaian highlife, then the selection of songs on this release leaves little to be desired. Taken from the Tabansi archives, the reissued tracks on this timeless collection explore the whole spectrum of the genre and its subtle variations, with each track hinting at other influences but always remaining firmly in highlife territory.

‘Anomakora’, with its claveembellished beat, adds a Cuban flavour to the music, while ‘Nya Asem Hwe’ throws the horn section into the limelight. It doesn't break any boundaries stylistically, but the recordings are quality easy-listening, and a happy addition to the wider collection of highlife music from the era. The accompanying notes for the album are laden with speculations about who these mystery musicians might be, and although a little more context for the collection would have been nice, I have to agree with the author of the sleeve notes on this one – sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy what's in front of you, and Band of Ghana is 40 minutes of pure enjoyment.