Appia Kwa Bridge

On his second album with Berlin-based Afrobeat Academy Taylor favors traditional highlife (many based on Fante nursery rhymes or chants) as opposed to the afrobeat-infused sound of other albums  (including 2010’s Love and Death). “Yaa Amponsah” for example is an interpretation of a popular highlife standard originally recorded in the 1920s by Sam’s Trio, which he is stripped down to two guitars and Taylor’s quivering voice, while album closer “Barrima” is a raw, emotional tribute to his late wife played delicately on an acoustic guitar. But there are some upbeat, dancey moments on the album too, such as “Assondwee,” “Kruman Dey,” and “Appia Kwa Bridge,”  replete with wah wah guitars, sinuous organ lines, and horn blasts.