Italy-based Ghanaian musician MC Kwesy deserves to have ‘Determination’
as his middle name because he has the penchant to spur himself on when
discouraging circumstances arise.

His latest release, the 10-track album Barman, is a combination of highlife and reggae, two genres of music highly fancied by MC Kwesy.

His real name is Kwesi Otabil Entsiwah and hails from Winneba in the Central Region. He started his music career with a group called the CSI Posse in the mid-1980’s.
 
This group sang and rapped in English only. MC Kwesy decided to do his own thing in Akan when the group broke up .
 
He came out with two albums Odo Doctor (1993) and Ghana Mma (1996) before tavelling to Italy where he says he plays with a group called Band Helianthus.

The previous albums were dogged by distribution and other problems but MC Kwesy has pushed ahead to complete a third album.

The title track of the new album is a highlife which smacks of a fun-loving person in jolly company at a watering hole.
 
Amid requests to the bar man to keep the drinks flowing and the disc jockey to hit them with good music, rapper Bonetae puts on a catchy rhyme that succintly captures the spirit of the song.

Screwface is featured on a song called Eye Omo Ehi but the track that really swings is a reggae-spiced piece called Masan Maba. It is a smoothly-arranged song with sweet backing vocals.
 
Featuring Dehoweld, the song also has meaningful lyrics about forgiveness.

The Araba Lucy track is a reminder of the version by veteran CK Mann and his Carousel band of many years ago.
 
With some help from Dehoweld, Cyborg and King Phillip, MC Kwesy has added a contemporary edge to the famous highlife song.

There is a reggae flavour on Nke Wobe Su and Meyer Fofor which conjures memories of Nana Tuffour's popular Meyere Dadaa.
 
The song has a tenor guitar which constantly unleashes an Afrobeat feel all over the song.

MC Kwesy exhibits a liking for different styles of music on Barman but reggae shoots forth as the branch of popular music that really grabs him.

“I grew up with reggae. My big brothers played a lot of Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Johnny Nash and other reggae artistes at home and the music got into my system,” says MC Kwesy who is considering doing an all-reggae album in the near future.

Mogura which means “don’t cry” in the Efutu dialect, is the bonus track on the album. The song is reggae gospel which carries words of encouragement for the down-hearted.

Recorded by Appietus, Paul Saul and King Phillip, MC Kwesy’s Barman is an intriguing, eclectic collection of songs by a very determined personality.

By Gloria Dzifa Kpodo