A leading innovator, musician, arranger and early collaborator with Fela Kuti, CK Mann and Pat Thomas (to name but a few), Ebo Taylor had a career spanning six decades. A man in total control of his art form, an unsung hero and a true originator of contemporary African music, he pushed the new style of African music called highlife (popularized by the highly influential ET Mensah) forcefully in the direction of Afro-beat. The self-titled album showcases the extreme musical talents of this man’s absolutely unique, soulful guitar style. It ranges across blues and jazz with pulsating African rhythms – the essence of which is encapsulated in the opening track ‘Saana. He’s complemented by unison voices in pidgin English lyrics and vocals, flowing keyboards, organ lines and deft guitar embellishments. The tightness of the horn section can be deeply felt in the standout track, ‘Heaven’, which has been sampled by Usher and Ludacris.

Following on from the winning formula of his debut album, Ebo delivers further monumental slices of true Afro-beat on the 1980 re-release, Conflict. Rich guitar parts are interlaced with amazing horns and accentuated by fast moving super-funky basslines, as typified by tracks such as ‘Love and Death,’ an eight minute Afro¬beat monster. The precision of the guitar perfectly matches the call-and-response of horns and vocals; it’s a joy to the ears.