BAFFOUR Kyei Mensah

BAFFOUR Kyei Mensah may not be a familiar name in gospel music circles, but his musical works show him as a phenomenon in his own right! His works place the artiste among the rare crop of musicians whose songs carry specific social messages aimed at reforming society.

With seven albums already in his collection, his latest album Dua No Aba, is an assembly of ten short but melodious sermons presented in a delightful transition through the corridors of conventional gospel music. “My songs come to me through dreams and the direct inspiration of God”, the 42-year-old songster told Showbiz in an interview last week, “they are for music evangelism and not only for entertainment”.

Although his earlier works Mo Mma Yen Som No (1991), Tumi Biara Nni Ho (1993), Nkosi Daben (1995), Wodin Mu (1996), Noah (1997), Bisa No (1998) and Sinapi (2000) could not make him a star on Ghana’s gospel scene, the former radio mechanic believes this new one may —at least— earn him a place in the charts.
The album comprises songs Yeehyia Wo Din Mu (We’re gathered in your name), Otanfo Agyina Tuo (The plans of the enemy), Ebenezer, Okyiri Bone (God hates sin), Ka Kyere Jesus (Tell Jesus about it), Humi Mobo (Be merciful to me) and the title-track: Dua No Aba, culled from Matthew 7:16.
A common feature on the album is Kyei Baffour’s frequent use of biblical passages. Almost all the lyrics are direct translations of thought-provoking references from the bible passages such as Genesis 4, Acts 5, Matthew 11 and 1 Samuel 3.
Another feature is the rendering of most of the songs in short anecdotes and practical day to day examples that listeners can easily identify with. He addresses topics such as poverty, sin, marriage, forgiveness and God’s mercy.The album is based on the theme, dependency on God. In songs like Ye Shia Wo Din Mu, Ebenezer, Ka Kyere Jesus and Otanfo Agyina Tuo, Kyei Baffour recounts the goodness of God and explains why man must always depend on him. He sings “.....I was not worthy, but God has made me worthy...this is how far God has brought me ... people may fail you , but God doesn’t....”
An up-tempo sound laced with emotion-filled vocals run through most of the tracks with back-up vocals provided by his wife, Faustina Kyei Boahemaa and the SDA Victory Voices. There is however not much sound variety on the album as many of the songs carry very similar tunes.
Baffour kyei credits his success to Yaw Sarpong, who trained and mentored him during his early years. All the songs are done in Twi and so far, about 25000 copies on CD and cassette are in circulation.