CONFLICT

CONFLICT

Conflict was originally released in 1980 and is finally seeing a long overdue reissue on Mr Bongo, following a partial remake as part of Taylor s 2009 Love and Death album. The five tracks that make up Conflict are a perfect example of Taylor s trademark approach that saw him inject a heavy dose of funk into Ghana s traditional highlife grooves in an attempt to move away from what he saw as the music s more traditional qualities. The album opens with the highlife of You Need Love, a track with catchy chants, horn riffs and guitar licks, and soon moves into funkier territories starting with Love and Death and then What Is Life?, a song with thicker grooves and a flute offset against the horn section. Christ Will Come is a highlight combining percussion with funky drums, flute and horns to devastating effect for what is essentially a bit of an apocalyptic jam heralding Christ s return on judgement day. The album closes with Victory. Based on a traditional song of the Asafo people, the song puts forward the horn section over a rapid groove and calls for the unity of all mankind. Taylor s arrangements and funky grooves combined with lyrics that touch on subjects ranging from love to religion make Conflict a stand out opus of Ghanaian afro-funk that s ripe for rediscovery.