Already assured of the Octogenarian album of the year here on It Starts With a Birthstone. An extraordinary record from Ghanaian musical legend Ebo Taylor called Yen Ara just out. Brimful of good time, swaying Afrobeat rhythms and melodies but also blessed with ingrained consciousness and wisdom, Taylor's Yen Ara, his first for five years is an response to Pete Townshend's 1965 riposte 'Hope I die before I get old...' as doing so is neither inevitable or necessary.
Ebo is mighty sure of that. Six decades into his musical career where he's worked with all manner of legends including Fela Kuti who he first came across during the days when Kuti was developing his masterplan in London, this is a mighty sturdy album. The record never lets up either in terms of the essential positivity of its message or relentless Afrobeat vibes.
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