Florence Adooni "Queen of Frafra Gospel" (Ghanaian highlife)

Have been rabbiting on about her on curmudgeon's rolling global thread, but thought I'd give her a thread of her own. She's been a member of various highlife bands including Alogte Oho's Sounds of Joy, but in the last few years has put out some (wonderful) singles of her own through the German Philophon label, has started playing some gigs around Europe and has a debut album due in early 2025. It's music that frankly just touches my heart, but also her and her band are starting to innovate a fair bit with the traditional highlife sound, incorparting some spiritual jazz sounds and on the new single some pretty nice acid sounds. Here are some examples...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZm-eM955sQ
Florence Adooni - Mam Pe'ela Su'ure (Live)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU9M4Rz55CM
Florence Adooni - Fo Yelle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAJzWzulIDo
Florence Adooni - Otoma da Naba <---- check out that 303(!)

Thanks for starting this thread - I've got nothing to add other than to say I've just listened through the six songs she has up on Spotify and this is great stuff!

Lovely stuff

Same as above posters, super happy to know that there's modern highlife being produced and this is very nice. It always felt like the best music genre - that has only produced a handful of international names. The genre name alone is the best.

a bit of live stuff from earlier this year...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGOsBFn-1Ks

Holy heck, first single off the album is fire...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0Z9ud9tFPw
'Vocalize My Love'

Album deets:

https://florenceadooni.bandcamp.com/album/a-o-e-i-u-an-ordinary-exercise-in-unity

Just listened to that four times on the bounce, late challenger for track of the year for me, so good!

super good.

Album finally out this Friday!

Gets a good review in the Quietus…
https://thequietus.com/quietus-reviews/florence-adooni-a-o-e-i-u-an-ordinary-exercise-in-unity-review/

album is a delightful beam of sunshine imo, couldn't have come out at a more necessary time

hi i don't have anything to add but yes, she's rad and the album rules. it's mostly previously released material but who cares, jam it.

sheer joy.

the world is full of shiny sounds, just listen up and close your eyes

going to go and see her in May, good grief i'm going to lose my shit

I might be able to see the london one.

100% agree with all - have just watched Zelenskyy in the White House and christ I need this

oh cool, give us a shout if you do! xp

and yes this is a real beacon of joy shining across what is otherwise a total shitscape

the last track ('fo yelle') just floors me, it's almost overwhelming how gorgeous it is. only just noticed that the way the trumpet and sax combine in the intro is a motif that's picked up by the vocals later on

will do. x post

I actually didn't have time to listen to the last track, so that is exciting to read

the world is full of shiny sounds, just listen up and close your eyes

― Clock DVLA (NickB), Friday, February 28, 2025 8:13 PM (three days ago)

^^

I guess the previews were quite numerous, but as an integrated 34 minute longplayer it's all sounding possibly even more fabulous at this instant.

really loved last night's gig at the jazz cafe. it's been a hell of a week, and i can't think of a better antidote tbh. really wonderful.

i was there too - so good, so much joyful energy! florence is so charming and the band are incredible too, that extended 'uh-ah song' is such a bomb. saw them in Lewes last weekend too along with a few other ilxors, bit more of a older provincial crowd, she was doing a lot more of the audience participation thing at that one to warm up some of the stiffs.

so much going on in the songs, just trying to lean back and absorb it all at the same time as trying to relish every detail - i think i could have listened to each of the musicians in isolation, though i am a sucker for that two fingered guitar sound, which i think is one of the most lovely in music.

and yet! each song is so distinctive - otm about fo yelle - and florence so playful in how it delivers, shimmers and changes, with love in all its different forms seemingly at the centre of it all.

really wonderful.

yes yes to all of that! looking forward already to seeing them the next time round, i'm not saying it wasn't amazing but things should really go off once the audience are a bit more familiar with the songs

she was the main guest on gilles peterson's 6music show today, so glad things are happening for her and excited to listen back