Àbòr Édiń (Àbɔɔ Édíŋ)

There are few sounds as laid back and serene as Ghanaian palm wine music. Just listen to Kwaa Mensah’s delicate guitar and wistful voice, and you can almost feel the pleasant, mellow daze of a boozy afternoon, and the soft embrace of a gentle breeze offering momentary respite from Ghana’s sticky humidity. On Àbòr Édiń (Àbɔɔ Édíŋ), Okaidja Afroso channels these tranquil atmospheres — no wonder he calls his style “Afro Zen music.” But while the album is infused with a deep sense of calm, a lively, celebratory feel runs through tracks such as “Kasoa” and “Àbòr Édiń,” with their driving rhythms and call and response vocals. Relying on only his crisp guitar playing, light percussion, bass, and vocals, Afoso creates light but soulful songs, blending Brazilian rhythms with jazzy harmonies and Ghanaian palm wine and highlife sounds. Though he’s been living in the US since 1999, The singer, dancer, guitarist, and composer has remained deeply connected to his roots in coastal Ghana, where he grew up in a Gãdangmé fishing village, and the lyrics here combine traditional storytelling and poetry from this community. Afoso’s music is spacious and blissful, and Àbòr Édiń — the second installment in a planned trilogy — sparkles with timeless, rootsy elegance.