It is smoother in sound than his previous album Yonye and is fast-paced, showcasing complex, intricate rhythms, drones and dialogue between lower, buzzing basslines and higher, syncopated notes.

SK Kakraba is a master of the gyil xylophone, a Ghanaian instrument composed of calabash gourd resonators with 14 wooden slats strung across them.

[4] Unlike Yonye, which features occasional added drums and bells,[7] Songs for Paapieye is a solo project, recorded by Kakraba entirely by himself, playing live without any overdubs or accompanying guest musicians.

[7] The tracks nonetheless sound like ensembles, via the "animated dialogue" between the deep buzzing, looping basslines and the syncopated higher, clearer notes.

[7] The album includes three funeral songs, each with a rapid, stop-start nature,[9] although these tracks are not dissimilar, however, to "Sopka," which Kakraba claims is "happy hour music" played to "please your soul.

"[9] Jon Pareles of The New York Times felt that the majority of the album, including funeral pieces, displays a propulsive but unpredictable style of dance music.

[1] Aquarium Drunkard noted that although harmonic elements of the album's pulsing drones are shared with the works of minimalist composers Terry Riley and Steve Reich, Kakraba's feel is "jazzier, earthier, and more folk focused.

[8] By contrast, "Darikpon Variations" features a riff which, according to Spenceley, bears harmonic and melodic similarity to the "straight-ahead grooves" of rock guitarist Jimmy Page.

[4] The album was then subsequently released by Awesome Tapes From Africa on 2 October 2015 on CD, vinyl, cassette and digital formats, complete with liner notes containing biographical and track-by-track information.

"[12] Haydon Spenceley of Drowned in Sound wrote that "SK Kakraba won't, by any means, provide here an album for mass consumption, but, for the brave, or for the one who is much more a connoisseur, dig in.

He was impressed by the unlikely sound of the album's instrumentation: "Listeners could be forgiven for thinking there’s some Konono-style electronic processing involved, but the gyil is entirely acoustic.

"[13] Afropop Worldwide wrote that "Songs of Paapieye captures the richness of the traditional gyil repertoire, the sonic depth of the instrument, and the polyrhythmic complexity of Kakraba’s playing.

"[8] In their 2016 Bradt Travel Guides book Ghana, authors Philip Briggs and Sean Connolly wrote that both Yonye and Songs of Paapieye are "genuinely exciting documents of a centuries-old tradition that continues to impress in the modern era.