Fyfya Woto

Released

Maybe it’s Jojo Abot’s timeless, soulful voice, but “Tom Vava” is a deceptively classic opening to an album that is anything but. After its warm tones and mellow bounce, the skittering rhythms of “To Li” initially catch you off guard. The vaguely dancehall flavored track is a standout, with Abot alternating between dreamy, swirling song and leisurely rapping in ewe. This shifting, unpredictable quality carries through to the rest of the record: “Pi Lo Lo” moves between delicate soul and dense dub, while “Le Le Le” is a crossover between Zahara-like afropop, gospel, and traditional storytelling. These tracks would be enough on their own, but taken in light of their backstory (the record tells the story of a Ghanaian woman who is caught with her white lover “in a time of slavery and divide”) and the accompanying visuals, Fyfya Woto is a little gem.

Megan Iacobini de Fazio