Sometimes Less Is More: A Structural Analysis of Ebo Taylor’s ‘Love and Death’

Ebo Taylor, one of Ghana’s popular music iconic composer-performers came to global prominence in 2010 with the release of his song, ‘Love and Death’. This song in question is based on a two-chord progression, which also gives the composer relatively fewer options to explore. The paper investigates Ebo Taylor's life and musical journey, and also analyze the various structures of the song, ‘Love and Death’ in relation to instrumental components such as percussion, brass, keyboard, guitar, bass and voice to see how each has been woven into the song, and the musical influences that have shaped it. Employing a case study for the research design, a formal analysis of the song reveals repetitive rhythmic and melodic patterns (vamp) in the keyboard, guitar, bass, and percussion, which are superimposed with interactive brass and vocal melodies. The paper consequently concludes that Ebo Taylor’s artistry is embedded in Ghanaian highlife tradition, which is evident in the drum and guitar patterns; however, there is also an obvious jazz influence in the voicing and arrangement of the brass. The study, therefore recommends Ebo Taylor’s ‘love and death’ as a good reference for composers with interest in music interculturalism.