Ghanaian gospel singer Linda Ayupuka performs at weddings, funerals and church services by day, but by night she makes joyous and jumpy Afro-electro hymns. God Created Everything, her debut, exists somewhere between the Malian singer Oumou Sangaré and the lo-fi-to-the-future beats heard on the Nyege Nyege Tapes label. This is turnt-up praise music that's equally at home in church aisles and on dance floors.
Ayupuka calls "Daguna" her favorite track on the album, and it's not hard to hear why. "Let's all be in a hurry / Don't delay," a choir chants in its native Gurenɛ tongue over a trance-inducing drum loop and synth flute. In a translation provided by the singer herself, the song radiates salvation: "Our permanent home is heaven / So my brothers and sisters, be in hurry to accept Him." Ayupuka's piercing soprano, here AutoTuned in a way that seems to harness the power of a thousand suns, provides a blast of bright light against Francis Ayamga's biting production, which feels equally inspired by Fra Fra ceremonial music and dancehall.
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