United States-based Ghanaian reggae artiste Ras Kwame maintains a cool demeanour most of the time but his songs, like those on his latest album called Forward Ever, always resoundingly proclaim his affirmative messages.
Forward Ever is Ras Kwame’s third album and contains eight songs which affirm the musician’s Pan-Africanist stance as well as adherence to uplifting and swinging music.
Working from Illinois, Kwame sought the input of producer George Kouakou and the result is the rousing collection of songs that never fail to delight, whether one is a staunch reggae lover or just a plain fan of good music.
One Man No Dub clearly states his position that the only way forward for Africa is through unity. He expresses the idea encased in lyrics that prick the mind and backed by luscious brass arrangements.
Kouakou shows his supreme experience with reggae with the way he seasons the song with short bursts of guitar, keyboard and percussion fills.
Ras Kwame regards the song, indeed his whole body of music, as an educational process for whoever cares to take notice of what he is doing. “I feel education goes beyond the classroom. We bring culture to the people. We teach knowledge of the self,” he says.
All the songs on Forward Ever catch attention. Make Luv, for instance, initially strikes one as having a flimsy theme but through the English , Twi and Hausa lyrics forcefully pushed on by the busy running bass lines and smart smacks on the snare drum, one realises the underlying message of brotherly love.
Kwame, who plays guitar and sings, came down to launch Forward Ever at the Accra International Press Centre recently. He is planning a national tour with Alpha Blondy around the end of the year.
Back in the US, he performs regularly with his seven-piece Wan-Afrika band. His website indicates that he has been on the same bill with notable acts like Third World, Mutabaruka, Sonny Ade and Wailing Souls.
He sees himself as an ambassador destined to bring people together through his roots rock reggae style.
He has been quietly doing that with his live appearances as well as with his two previous albums - How Sweet It Is and OAU which featured guest guitarist Junior Marvin of the Wailers fame.
Ras Kwame believes his music must speak more for him rather than he shuffling from one radio station to the other blowing his top about his political convinctions and good reggae.
Forward Ever is doing that for him in a big way. He makes you irresistibly fall for reggae even if you think it is not your favourite genre.
