Ben Brako launches ‘Adende’

Nine years after the release of his last album, one of Ghana’s evergreen highlife stars, Ben Brako, last week Friday launched his latest album in Accra, which he described as “much more modern”.

The nine-track album titled ‘Adende’, features three of Ghana’s prominent hip-life artistes; Tic Tac, Soni Bali and Papa Flava, who add a youthful touch to the songs on the album.

It has songs like Dance With Me, Adoma, Yesu Beye, Serwaa, Love, and Enchie.

Before the launch of the album by Dr.Charles Wereko-Brobby, Chief Executive of the Ghana @ 50 Secretariat, Ben Brako, backed by Adez of the TV3 Mentor fame, thrilled the audience with some of his popular old songs as well as his new songs.

Patrons at the launch demonstrated their verdict by taking to the floor.

Ben Brako told the Times that he has been developing and writing music for the past nine years that he has been away from the music scene, adding, “It takes time to come out with good music.”

He explained that the featuring of the hip-life artistes on the new album is a strategy he has devised to attract the youth into highlife music, which seem to be on low patronage by them.

He said that he will soon embark on a nationwide and international tour beginning from the Central Region, to entertain his fans who perhaps have missed his music for sometime.

Launching the album, Dr. Wereko-Brobby observed that highlife music that was once the reigning genre of music in the country is now taking a back seat.

He said it is important for Ghanaian highlife singers to strive and ensure that they revive and sustain it because it is one of the things that could be used to identify the country.

Maybe he wasn’t joking when he said he intends to establish a highlife night club and museum in the country to be called “Charlie Wote”.

Dr.Wereko-Brobby underscored the need for Ghanaians to take pride in their rich culture and promote it.

Ben Brako hit the highlife music circle with his debut “Baya” in 1987 winning him the Leisure Foundation album of the year 1987, and Musician of the year 1987. He has five albums to his credit.