Here’s Habyba again with Yeeko Yenim
For music lovers eager for a collection that sizzles, with wide-ranging feel-good Afro-centric tracks, they need look no further. Habyba is here with Yeeko Yenim (We Are Moving Forward).
The nine-track album by the Switzerland-based Ghanaian singer was released on March 15. It is practically a musical tour around Africa, with jolly doses of Highlife, Soucous, Afrobeat, South African township vibes, old-school Soul and more.
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Habyba herself sums up the general feel of the album on the Monfasa (Dance To It) track, where she says the pleasant music she’s playing is from Africa and people must dance to it all-day.
She had some singles to her credit before relocating to Switzerland, where she put out her debut album, Afrika Wontsebo, in May 2022. This Yeeko Yenim follow-up is actually an indication of the singer’s forward movement in terms of choice of song themes and how they are clothed for wider appeal.
In her attempt to project Ghanaian traditional foods, for instance, she veils the message in a love story of a woman waiting for her man and telling him of all the different, appetising dishes she has prepared for him to come and ‘chop’. That track is Niikwei Tse (Niikwei’s Father).
Also on the Wotee (Let’s Go) track, she subtly refers to the issue of racial intolerance by urging her people to agree to return to their fatherland, where they are cherished.
Other songs on the album are Menewo Beye, Come Together, Habyba Habyba, Odo Pa and Eye Odo. The tracks explore romantic love, steadfastness, unity and peace. They are rendered in English, Twi, Ga and Ewe. Habyba does well to hold the listener’s attention through the splendid playing of the instrumentalists on the project.
They are Bright Osei (bass), Dominic Quarchie and Paddy Gwada (guitars), Bernard Gyamfi (trombone), Nobert Wonkyi (trumpet), Alvin Kwabena (drums) and Sir Roberto (keyboards) as well as Habyba’s manager, who jointly composed the songs with her and also arranged them.
Habyba performed live on stage or worked in the studio with a long list of notable names before leaving Ghana’s shores. They included Rocky Dawuni, Daddy Lumba, Dela Botri, Akablay, Knii Lante, Sherifa Gunu, Kumi Guitar, Wutah and Guru.
The songs on the Yeeko Yenim album reflect her bubbly personality and admirable efforts, which will help to establish her brand internationally. The songs are available at all major digital music distribution outlets.