Daniella Adu-Asare
Sark Nation leader (Sarkodie), too often, many complain of certain attitudes of yours they describe as flippant and disrespectful. Some people have registered such displeasure, legendary Freddy Mayway has waded in the complaints, and most recently Nigeria’s Yemi Alade.
Your reasons? Solely yours. I won’t digress into that. Today I’ll tell you why I seem to be smitten with your ‘Mary’ album released under your SarkCess Music label. I think it is one of the greatest meals to have come out of your “kitchen”.
The songs on that album, largely written by Akwaboah Jnr, are what one can call classic and timeless. Sleek voice Mr Music Man, Kojo Antwi may be the best person to tell what these words really mean. These are thought provoking songs that can appeal to all kinds of audiences. I’d say there’s something in there for everyone.
You veered away from your usual style and put together this bag of goodies; every single song having been recorded live. Perhaps your late grandmother whom you dedicated the album to, has it backed with her spirit and her blessing.
The ‘sanctimoniously pious’ ones would relate with the raps in the ‘Sarkcess Story’, with Efya. As you recount your challenging beginnings and journey, you give hope to every single person who can call it their stories. You tell us that God can turn every painful story into a success (Sarkcess story).
For all you professional and part-time gossips, Sarkodie is asking “how is the market?” (Edwom Te S?n). The market where you carry others' issues on your heads to sell to other people, how well is it doing? Funny as the song may sound, admittedly we all are culprits and victims at the same time.
Nevertheless, a part of the song says “gossip in wisdom”. In as much as this oxymoron may be confusing, I am guessing the moral is that, if the ‘gossip’ you are passing on is not with the purpose of seeking for help for the ‘victim’, it is toxic!
One of the reasons for the love story between myself and the ‘Mary’ album is the fact that we get to enjoy the rich collaboration of the ‘old school’ ad the ‘new school’.
The song that begins like one of Fela’s proud originations; Afrobeat, features veteran highlife musician Pat Thomas. In ‘Bra’, Pat Thomas would profess his love for his beloved by calling her to come to him to receive all his love.
Obrafour’s rich language and play with words is as usual to be admired in ‘Always on My Mind’. They seem to paint the portrait of the vintage kind of love that our great-grandparents told us tales of; the kind of love that was expressed with the gift of a grass cutter from the forest. As Sarkodie would put it, “I’ll suffer for your love just like the chicken suffers for the soup”! Classic!
If you want to get a virtual disco in your head via headphones, or you just want to party, like nobody’s business, I’d suggest you a song; ‘Nobody’s Business’ featuring that talented young man Akwaboah Jnr. “So when the party is over, I want you to come closer…would you dance with me like nobody’s business?”. You cannot help but move as you listen to this amazing piece of art.
All the other songs on this album are simply too ‘dope’ for words, but before I go, I want to talk to you about that gift of a young man you have; Akwaboah Jnr. He’s been gifted with words that seem to be weaved from the Psalmist’s own basket of words. He puts words together and creates magic. His talent as a musician is simply amazing. Kindly hold on to him like ‘nobody’s business’.
So ‘Dear Sarkodie’, out of ‘Maky?’ (2009), ‘Rapperholic’ (2012), ‘Sarkology’ (2014), and your newest baby, ‘Highest’ (released on September 8 this year), I simply say ‘Mary’ did it for me. Great work! And oh, the cover of the album is simply the icing on the cake for me.
Yours ‘Mary’ album fan,
