Osibisa: Sunshine Day - The Boyhood Sessions (50th Anniversary Edition)

Bringing African based music to the masses in the 70s and 80s was no mean feat and it fell to the Ghanaian/UK outfit Osibisa to do just that, with the ever-evolving band scoring hit singles in the early 70s, before gaining some traction in the US and Australia. Osibisa’s main success in Africa arrived during the 80s, so with a 50th anniversary to celebrate through The Boyhood Session (50th Anniversary Edition), doubtless there will be many excited by this release across a few continents. Collected together for the first time, all of the twelve tracks presented here were originally considered for the soundtrack to the Oscar Winning Richard Linklater film, Boyhood, resulting in a mixture of full tracks, demos and live versions being brought under one roof.

Now, I must admit that my own experiences with this band don’t go any deeper than this CD itself and as introductions go - and without taking into account their cultural significance - I must admit that the mix of Afro-pop-soul leaves me completely cold. All of the tracks here are good fun and doubtless if I was a member in the audience at one of the live performances included, I’d be moving along with the music - something that seems to sit at the centre of what’s going on. But as a sit down listening experience, the 80s keyboard-part and electro-handclaps of “Sunshine Day� is the kind of fare that used to have me running away from the school disco. And really, from there, the pop-soul grooves keep coming, with an African twist sometimes pushing to the fore and sometimes being left behind in what feels like an attempt to reach wider audiences.

Therefore, to me, if Osibisa, their impressive journey and the walls they broke through to come a wider prominence sounds like something you’d like to investigate, then I hope there’s a more intriguing collection out there for you to do it with.

Track Listing
1. Sunshine Day (boyhood mix)
2. Feel Good (boyhood summer mix)
3. Hold On (hoodie mix)
4. Woyava (acoustic live)
5. Superfly Man (live)
6. Sunshine Day (live)
7. Abele (new studio)
8. Inkosi Sinkeleli Africa (alternative)
9. Djankoso (studio)
10. Jumbo (studio)
11. Ayiko Bia (live)
12. Sunshine Day (boyhood summer mix)

Added: April 2nd 2022
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Osibisa online
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Language: english

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