Customer Reviews

Rough Guide to the Music of Ethiopia

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Samplers usually contain a couple of interesting cuts with lots of dogs but this overview of the ethiopian music scene from the 70s to early 90s is killer with no filler. The only drawback is the sound quality of a few of the cuts from the 70s, but this was the golden age of ethiopian music. This is much more intense music than the usual world muzak heard today or most other sub-Saharan music for that matter. The great singers of the 70s such as Ahmed, Gessessee or Eshete were also blessed with fantastic backup bands drawn from the famed Ethiopian army and police bands. These bands were European trained and extraordinarily tight. James Brown wouldn't have complained. Be advised that more recent Ethiopian music of the last 5- 10 years has gradually become more bland like other world music so recent work by artists such as Ahmed will not be as interesting as their work in the 60s-80s.

This is a great sampler. I've been looking for these golden collections for a while; Ethiopian artists have their own unique way of expressing love. I remember as a young girl listening to my father's collection which included many of Ethiopiques volumes. Our country musicians have a lot to offer, I hope for them to share their talents with the world. I believe one day it will be known for its wonderful variation of music instead of bad images that hang over the country.