v.a. - The Ethiopian Millennium Collection [CD 3 - Chic-Chic-Ka] [2007] [ethiopia]

     The golden age of Ethiopian popular music (as heard on the fabled ETHIOPIQUES series) is famous in part for the sparsity of material that it yielded: The state-owned recording industry was largely a ramshackle government vanity, and while music of the music it captured was strikingly haunting, only a few dozen tracks were recorded in the 1960s and '70s... 

Neway Debebe - Yetikimt Abeba

       Since then, the floodgates have opened as Ethiopia has more or less entered the modern world -- more artists are making and recording more music than was dreamed possible back in the politically repressive "good old days," and the fruits of this renaissance are heard on this 6-CD set. 

        Each of these discs is also sold separately, and each centers on a general theme -- one for ballads, one of traditional music (which is quite nice), a disc's worth of contemporary dance music and one of "chic-chic-ka" rhythm, a popular modern style. There are also two discs worth of instrumental music -- one featuring recent recordings of more traditional themes is quite nice, while the other has a contemporary feel and is closer to modern "smooth jazz." 

      The tracks are from the late 1990s and early '00s -- the artists are generally younger, more modern musicians, although a few old-timers like Mahmoud Ahmed are still alive and kicking, and sound as cool as ever. Although this collection doesn't have the same eerie power as the '70s-era recordings, anyone who got into the ETHIOPIQUES discs will want to check this out as well, to see where the music has gone since then.

01 - Mahmoud Ahmed - Anchi Bale Gamme (6:43)

02 - Muluken Mellesse - Nanu Nanu Ney (6:28)

03 - Hamelmal Abate - Awdamet (6:10)

04 - Theodros Tadesse - Albo (5:41)

05 - Neway Debebe - Yetikimt Abeba (5:13)

06 - Theodros Kassahun - Lebo (5:44)

07 - Hana Shenkute - Hode Ba-Le-Abisho (5:49)

08 - Dawit Mellesse - Ayisemashim (4:57)

09 - Mahmoud Ahmed - Derra & Ye-Selalewa (7:01)

10 - Tehsome Wolde - Litishegnegn New Fikire (4:31)

11 - Martha Ashagari - Gamme Gamme (5:01)

12 - Abinet Agonafir - Lene Kalesh (6:31)

13 - Hirut Girma - Wusheten (5:22)