SriBuO Release of the week - C-Zar - Araba Lawson

http://sribuo.com/2010/09/20/music/c-zar-araba-lawson

Hello Ghana music lovers, this weekend we decided to bring you some old skool hiplife / high life from C-zar a veteran in the Ghana music scene. We won't bore you too much with details on the most popular songs on this album, rather, we will unearth for you hidden gems from his album - Araba Lawson.



First off lets start with the title track and hit song from the album - Araba Lawson. This song features Ofori Amponsah and to put a long story short - the video "s3 wue ni" (you have to see it to fully appreciate it):

A lot of the songs on this album, actually almost all the songs are about love, love making, relationships and everything amorous. There are other songs that explore themes like fun, dancing and merriment.

Be Fi Mano (Come and kiss me) is the first song on the album. If you grew up in Ghana, you will remember this song that was very popular at kids parties - "The person born on Sunday come in and dance ... the person born on Saturday come in and dance, falala lala lalala, fala lala lalala, fa la la laaa". The instrumentals for Be Fi Mano are very reminiscent of this children's song.

The bottle-breaker and kpanolgo beat maker, JQ, supplies the auditory pleasantries that back up the vocals fort he next song - Sonkrosuo. After praising Araba Lawson for her beauty, C-zar next goes on to chide and dust off Yaa Mansa on the next track for her treachery. He unequivocally proclaims that he has forever severed ties with her and that she will pay tooth and nail for her betrayal.

Another of the more raunchy songs on the album is aptly titled "Topon No Mu" (Close the door). It declares that now that the family has agreed and the church has blessed the wedding, the door is going to be closed and there will be an all night session of serious exercise. Ma Odo Nso (Let love reign), is interestingly more romantic and what you would associate with a nuptial union (as opposed to Topon No Mu). C-zar assumes the position of marriage counselor and doles out treasure troves of marriage advice in both English and Twi; definitely worth the listen.

After counseling us about marriage. C-zar goes on to make a very controversial assertion on the next track. I think this is one of the best on the album. It is titled Obi Be Do Wo (Someone will love you ...). C-zar simply states that if someone will love you, it will be in a large part due to the torque power of your waist. If your marriage is falling apart, you shouldn't blame your in-laws or your partner, but rather, your waist ... because if someone will love you, it will come from the power of your waist. He then goes on to tell a story about Anita and her waist ... I don't know if C-zar was completely right but he did have a point, waist power can amplify relationships, like good engines help cars run more smoothly. Listen to the track and judge for yourself:

OBI BE DO WO

Some other danceable tracks on this album include Doobi Doobi, San Be Waa me, Di Asa (Remix).

Araba Lawson ends on a very high tempo note ... Gongongon is the onomatopoeic title of the fast beat chant of the final song on the album. You don't even have to listen to the lyrics on this song (it explores the general theme of everyday for the thief, one day for the master ... don't spend all your money on women ....), just play it and dance to it and you will be content with musical joy:

GONGONGON

Grab your copy of this hiplife classic now!

- Credits George Armah