Victory talk in a buoyant mood

Outwardly, Mantse So-le, F. Gee and Lyff Angels, project a tough and rugged image but the content of the 10 songs on their Nye He Ye Feo album point to a bunch of soft-hearted young men who do not want to cause any bodily harm to women and are also ready to apologise to their lovers when they know they are in the wrong.

The three young men make up Kla-la. Their name is a Ga expression meaning white cloth and the trio often wear white on stage. The colour, in Mantse So-le’s view, symbolises the victory they have won over very challenging situations since they met in a studio in Accra and decided to work together in 2005.

“There is a force behind every name and everyone acknowledges the good omen white is supposed to signify in our society,” So-le says. “We had nobody to rely on and the going was tough but we have persisted and brought out our first album. We get gigs from time to time. We won’t lose hope. We are not quitters.”

The young men were solo artistes working on individual projects from the same studio at Osu in Accra. The 2005 Nescafe African Revelation contest was coming up and the resident engineer, having heard all the three artistes, advised them to pull their talents together and try their luck.

They lost out to Praye but resolved to push on as a group.They have appeared on TV3’s Music Music and Looking For Love programmes, Maame Dokono’s show on Metro TV as well at functions at La Beach, the National Theatre, Takoradi Polytechnic and other venues.

All three contributed material to the Nye He Ye Feo (meaning ‘You Are Beautiful’ in Ga) album which was recorded by Sugartone. There is a video of the track on television which has helped bring the group to better public attention.

The song, with a driving, danceable ‘jama’ beat, has been hailed in several quarters for its positive message against domestic violence.

Apart from its noteworthy theme, Nye He Ye Feo also demonstrates a solid grasp of Ga usage by the trio. Bits of Ewe and Twi are thrown into the song but a greater part is rendered in glittering Ga to evoke a load of varying mental imagery.

“We are bringing love to our women and saying domestic violence is an abomination,” said F. Gee. “We are also saying that beauty is not only external. It is not just what you wear or the money in your account. Good character is always essential.”

For whatever reason, other songs on the album like Boni Mike Baagbo, Engagement Day and Adoley are all positively targeted at women. Sorry, however, is about the most evocative piece on the album. It is a desperate, heart-wrenching apology to a lady who has been wronged. It is a smooth-flowing mid-tempo track that calls for gentle movements on the dance floor.

“We don’t have a favourite track on the album. Each song was crafted with a specific messge and we are happy they all come easily across to people,” So-le pointed out.

Kla-la talks of appreciating the music of people like Lucky Dube, Amandzeba, Kojo Antwi and Bob Marley but are quick to stress that they are charting their own course in terms of compositional style and hope to win many hearts in this country and elsewhere with their effort.

“We are exploring what is our own culturally, and bringing in other elements to give our songs a broad appeal. We are looking forward to reaching far with what we are doing. Don’t forget Kla-la stands for victory,” Mantse So-le emphasised.