GUITAR-MAESTRO George Darko, the man behind the early 80?s hit Akoo Tse Brofo has been ?off duty? for so long that most people thought he had finally rested his guitar in exchange for the chiefly regalia of the Akwapem Traditional Area where he is sub-chief with the title of Nana Ampem Darko. But hey, just weeks ago the highlife impresario, reputed to be Ghana?s answer to George Benson, resurfaced with a new album loaded with one big question: ?What is the colour of love?? Known to do music that comes in a fusion of jazz and highlife complemented with excellent guitar skills, George successfully marries old and new on this album, creating a work which identifies with the older generation and yet offers the young something to wiggle to.
The new album titled Odo Colour and released on the Agiecoat Productions Label, maintains the enriched highlife rhythm while experimenting with contemporary rhythms and continental Afro beats on six songs comprising Sika, Radio Africa, Naboth, Premprem Siwa, Owuo, and Odo Colour .Like many of the old crop of musicians who have stood the test of time, George Darko sticks mainly to the rhythmic highlify line of music and showcases a good deal of versatility while holding on to his Ghanaian roots.
The most melodious track on the album and perhaps the one that would restore the old giant to his former glory is of course, the title track Odo Colour, an upbeat song which requests for the colour of love in great feet-tapping sounds and a very attractive chorus.You should wait to hear Premprem Siwa to get one more feel of George?s splendid guitar work. Between urging his love to join him at a time of play and churning melodious head-nodding and body-jerking sounds, George strongly strums the strings of the guitar and generates quite a good piece to dance to. Sika maintains a strong disco beat built around a heavy bass rhythm and tied to a good blend of instruments running through the piece. The song speaks of how money provides the solution to many of life?s situations.
George switches from typical highlife to Afro-style music mixed with a bit of zouk swings in Radio Africa, an English song with a real continental flavour. The song explores Africa?s diversity in its lyrics, urging ?Radio Africa? to ?..Play the music, music for the people of Ashantiland..Swaziland..Yoruba land.. Swahili land.. Zululand..Hausaland..? In the last two songs presented on the album, George recoils into his local shell but takes a different route altogether, turning to one gospel track and another sombre highlife tune. In Naboth, which bears traces of a gospel medley, George takes a bite at the biblical story of how a farmer called Naboth refused to hand over his farm to Queen Jezebel. The vibrant voices of the backing vocalists make this one sound almost like a choral. Owuo ends the album in a sober highlife tune set in a rocking rhythm. Placing the listener in a solemn mood with a message to reflect on, the song speaks of the pain and sorrow death brings to man.
