DarkoVibes, the high priest of Ghana’s alternative music scene, has been in piping form since his arrival on his scene with the singles “Mercy” and “Tomorrow”. Both as a solo act and as a member of the La Même Gang collective, his fusion of contemporary pop and older forms, such as highlife, has resulted in colourful cocktails. And his effortless delivery in Ga, Twi, English and pidgin has put Paul Nii Amu Andrew Darko on a pedestal above most of his peers. His debut album Kpanlogo, a homage to the Accra suburb of Jamestown where he was raised, was an aperitif to whet fans’ appetite at the start of the pandemic. On “Mike Tyson”, he declares a determination to outlast and outdo industry competition—points that his regular collaborator Runtown emphasises by swearing: “Only thing we fear, na God and gunshot.” That same passion is evident on “Inna Song” and “Bless Me”, both unashamed pleas for love and for divine guidance. On “Sierra Leone”, a standout track on his second project, The Cornerstone, he is a scorned lover morphing into a vengeful one on an EP that is itself an atonement for previously suppressing layers of his versatility.