What do you feel when the unmistakable voice of Obiba Sly follows the rhythm of the highlife guitar while Dela Botri weaves a beautifully trace a unique melodious solo flute on it as Mawunya adds her voice to create a sobering melody that keeps your feet tapping till the music fades out?
One thing you can be sure of that if it is Sly, then it can only be vintage highlife music with lyrics that matter, not those with pedestrian words glorifying the banal and trivial but a songfilled with words of wisdom, inspiration which makes you reflect on life and its meaning.
That is exactly what the veteran highlife musician has done with this new offering titled ‘One day’ which must be playing on one of the numerous radio stations or you have bought a copy and listening to it while reading this.
The song which Obiba Sly and Mawunya rendered in English, Ga, Twi and English is, to put it mildly, can, apart from being in the highlife music top ten charts also make a surprise entry into the gospel charts where it will not be a by word or a footnote rather one that many will talk about.
As is becoming synonymous with Obiba Sly, he does not just belch out anything because it resembles or sounds like a song. That song must give out sound advice on how to conduct oneself in life and find peace, harmony and universal love. In One day for instance, he and Mawunya tell listeners in Ewe that we should eschew jealousy, envy and those character traits which in the end do not give us the peace and love we deserve ‘…so take-am easy, my brother, let’s love one another …’ he sings along with Mawunya in Ga and Ewe.
‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God and it’s righteousness and every other thing shall be added onto it … all the gidigidiwey you dey do, you go die, so stop the discrimination and love your neighbour … take-am easy’ he sings adding you can never predict tomorrow but the fact remains that ‘we all we go die so toboase mi nua’.
‘Have you ever asked yourself why all human blood is red? So take-am easy, my brother, my sister, don’t deny your neighbour of the little help you can give to make life a bit easier for him,’ he sings.
The music released on the Universal Entertainment label has cemented Obiba Sly squarely in the ranks of musicians who have kept faith with this genre which West Africans can claim to be their contribution to the development of popular music globally.
With a very danceable, bouncy, simple rhythm, easy to remember chorus and a melodious hook line to complete it, the beauty that veteran Dela’s flute adds to the music cannot be described in words but experienced in this simple highlife music.
Who knows? Maybe the song billed for release on June 1 has been inspired by the perilous times we are living in as the global Covid-19 pandemic has cheapened human life globally as the figures of the dead keep rising despite the tremendous advances man has made in the medical sciences.
This is the song of the season, and every home must own a copy, listen and reflect on. It’s worth it!!