The Mirror 1986/03/29
HI-LIFE AGO-GO
By Nanabanyin Dadson:
MARK Gilbert Oduro Dokyi - (McGOD) must be a very confident young man. On his maiden album TASTE ME released in Germany in 1983, he invites listeners to put the musik on their tongues "swallow me, if I am tasteful make me yours, spit me out if I am bitter".
Again on his Hi-Life Ago-go album just released on the Copam label, McGOD explains the title of the album thus "the old highlife of the early days (ago) is still going strong and will be with us in the future (go!).
How confident! What McGOD does not say is how far young musicians like him would push the old highlife since his own style follows the trend of "modern" highlife.
The title track HiLife Ago-go carries the mood of the album - we are dancing, so get up and join us. Beautiful guitar and keyboard arrangement make a delightful opener soon to be followed by equally beautiful hornswork from Martin Arnold and Kurt Dalloway.
No doubt, recording in Germany gives the artiste a good possibility to get a perfect sound.
In fact this album was recorded by Peter Kreck, the engineer who did Rex Gyamfi´s most popular "Highlife For You" album. This accounts for the neat sounds that is most obvious on the Alomo track.
Familiar chords characterise Fire, the third highlife number but it is a new thing altogether. Taking off from something akin to "Yaa Amponsah" the song shifts into a fresh composition that deals with the havocs of fire (bushfires?)
McGOD has a very good voice as the album shows. People who saw him perform live in the late 70s when he sang as guest artiste still see him as a good entertainer on stage. The flipside of his album is devoted to reggae music - reggae that is so good that one co
annot help paying attention to.
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