Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Download not available
While Ebo Taylor's name is not familiar to most as one of the pioneers of Afro-beat, it should be. Taylor, the Ghanian composer, arranger, guitarist, and vocalist has been making music since the 1950s, and studied with Fela Kuti at the Eric Guilder School of Music in London from 1962 until 1965. Rather than go the solo path, he opted instead for Accra's studio scene, where he appeared on dozens of singles and albums . He cut a self-titled solo album in 1977 on the local label Essiebons. Tracks from it, another album entitled Conflict, and various singles have appeared in recent years on various European compilations. The Strut imprint, not content to let Taylor's name languish in obscurity, put its money where its mouth was, and paired him with the Afrobeat Academy of Berlin, which includes guitarist J. Whitefield of the Whitefield Brothers and various guests from Europe and Africa. Love and Death, the result of that collaboration, reveals how much vitality the 74-year-old musician possesses still. These eight cuts are balanced between re-recordings of earlier tunes and new ones. Taylor's guitar and weathered vocals in both English and his native Akan dialect are right up front. They're juxtaposed with constant skittering percussion, hypnotic electric pianos and organs, punchy horns, and meandering yet in-the-pocket basslines. Taylor's lyrics derive from many sources: nursery rhymes, political and social themes, romance, etc. The title track is an uptempo but brokenhearted, love song which proclaims that "love and death are all the same." The cut is is compelling evidence of just how different Taylor's music is from Kuti's, though it remains undeniably Afro-beat. As funky as the JB's, it is more melodic and deeper into an African soul groove. "Nga Nga" is a new composition that is darker, moodier, and hypnotically funky. This is a club stepper with its popping bassline, swirling wah-wah guitars, and stuttering horns that play call-and-response with Taylor's vocals. There are two instrumentals included: "Kwame," dedicated to Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first president, and "Victory," about a conflict between two neighboring villages. Taylor's snaky guitar skills are amply evident on both, and the backing of the Afrobeat Academy and its guests push them into the stratosphere. Anyone remotely interested in Afro-beat -- traditional or modern -- needs to hear Love and Death; it's a sonically pristine and deeply earthy musical experience from an artist who is only beginning to receive his due and has plenty left to say.
© Thom Jurek /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From £10.83/month
Ebo Taylor, Main Artist - Ebo Taylor; Ben Abarbanel-Wolff; J. Whitefield; Ekow Alabi Savage, Composer, Lyricist - Shining Music!K7 PublishingEbo Taylor
2010 Strut 2010 Strut Records, part of the !K7 Label Group
Ebo Taylor, Main Artist - Ebo Taylor; Ben Abarbanel-Wolff; J. Whitefield; Ekow Alabi Savage, Composer, Lyricist - Shining Music!K7 PublishingEbo Taylor
2010 Strut 2010 Strut Records, part of the !K7 Label Group
Ebo Taylor, Main Artist - Ebo Taylor; Ben Abarbanel-Wolff; J. Whitefield; Ekow Alabi Savage, Composer, Lyricist - Shining Music!K7 PublishingEbo Taylor
2010 Strut 2010 Strut Records, part of the !K7 Label Group
Ebo Taylor, Main Artist - Ebo Taylor; Ben Abarbanel-Wolff; J. Whitefield; Ekow Alabi Savage, Composer, Lyricist - Shining Music!K7 PublishingEbo Taylor
2010 Strut 2010 Strut Records, part of the !K7 Label Group
Ebo Taylor, Main Artist - Ebo Taylor; Ben Abarbanel-Wolff; J. Whitefield; Ekow Alabi Savage, Composer, Lyricist - Shining Music!K7 PublishingEbo Taylor
2010 Strut 2010 Strut Records, part of the !K7 Label Group
Ebo Taylor, Main Artist - Ebo Taylor; Ben Abarbanel-Wolff; J. Whitefield; Ekow Alabi Savage, Composer, Lyricist - Shining Music!K7 PublishingEbo Taylor
2010 Strut 2010 Strut Records, part of the !K7 Label Group
Ebo Taylor, Main Artist - Ebo Taylor; Ben Abarbanel-Wolff; J. Whitefield; Ekow Alabi Savage, Composer, Lyricist - Shining Music!K7 PublishingEbo Taylor
2010 Strut 2010 Strut Records, part of the !K7 Label Group
Ebo Taylor, Main Artist - Ebo Taylor; Ben Abarbanel-Wolff; J. Whitefield; Ekow Alabi Savage, Composer, Lyricist - Shining Music!K7 PublishingEbo Taylor
2010 Strut 2010 Strut Records, part of the !K7 Label Group
Album review
While Ebo Taylor's name is not familiar to most as one of the pioneers of Afro-beat, it should be. Taylor, the Ghanian composer, arranger, guitarist, and vocalist has been making music since the 1950s, and studied with Fela Kuti at the Eric Guilder School of Music in London from 1962 until 1965. Rather than go the solo path, he opted instead for Accra's studio scene, where he appeared on dozens of singles and albums . He cut a self-titled solo album in 1977 on the local label Essiebons. Tracks from it, another album entitled Conflict, and various singles have appeared in recent years on various European compilations. The Strut imprint, not content to let Taylor's name languish in obscurity, put its money where its mouth was, and paired him with the Afrobeat Academy of Berlin, which includes guitarist J. Whitefield of the Whitefield Brothers and various guests from Europe and Africa. Love and Death, the result of that collaboration, reveals how much vitality the 74-year-old musician possesses still. These eight cuts are balanced between re-recordings of earlier tunes and new ones. Taylor's guitar and weathered vocals in both English and his native Akan dialect are right up front. They're juxtaposed with constant skittering percussion, hypnotic electric pianos and organs, punchy horns, and meandering yet in-the-pocket basslines. Taylor's lyrics derive from many sources: nursery rhymes, political and social themes, romance, etc. The title track is an uptempo but brokenhearted, love song which proclaims that "love and death are all the same." The cut is is compelling evidence of just how different Taylor's music is from Kuti's, though it remains undeniably Afro-beat. As funky as the JB's, it is more melodic and deeper into an African soul groove. "Nga Nga" is a new composition that is darker, moodier, and hypnotically funky. This is a club stepper with its popping bassline, swirling wah-wah guitars, and stuttering horns that play call-and-response with Taylor's vocals. There are two instrumentals included: "Kwame," dedicated to Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first president, and "Victory," about a conflict between two neighboring villages. Taylor's snaky guitar skills are amply evident on both, and the backing of the Afrobeat Academy and its guests push them into the stratosphere. Anyone remotely interested in Afro-beat -- traditional or modern -- needs to hear Love and Death; it's a sonically pristine and deeply earthy musical experience from an artist who is only beginning to receive his due and has plenty left to say.
© Thom Jurek /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 8 track(s)
- Total length: 00:44:42
- Main artists: Ebo Taylor
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Strut
- Genre: World
2010 Strut 2010 Strut Records, part of the !K7 Label Group
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.