Tlahoun Gessesse Ethiopian Urban Modern Music Vol. 4

• Tlahoun Gessesse – Alègntayé
• Tlahoun Gessesse – Kulun Mankwalèsh (70)
• Tlahoun Gessesse – Aykèdashem Lebé
• Tlahoun Gessesse – Bèyèt Nèw Mèngèdu
• Tlahoun Gessesse – Ené Nègn Wèy Antchi
• Tlahoun Gessesse – Yèné Felagoté
• Tlahoun Gessesse – Tezalègn Yètentu
• Tlahoun Gessesse – Tchuhetén Betsèmu
• Tlahoun Gessesse – Lantchi Biyé
• Tlahoun Gessesse – Kulun Mankwalèsh (73)

• 1. Alègntayé
• 2. Kulun Mankwalèsh (70)
• 3. Aykèdashem Lebé
• 4. Bèyèt Nèw Mèngèdu
• 5. Ené Nègn Wèy Antchi
• 6. Yèné Felagoté
• 7. Tezalègn Yètentu
• 8. Tchuhetén Betsèmu
• 9. Lantchi Biyé
• 10. Kulun Mankwalèsh (73)

A stunning set of vocal recordings by Tlahoun Gessesse - one of the most important singers during the golden age of Ethiopian music - caught here on a set of sides that sadly saw that period coming to an end! The tracks on the set are mostly from the early 70s, a time that saw great political changes in Ethiopia - and tremendous censorship and restrictions on cultural production. Gessesse's vocals during this time are perhaps even more melancholy and heartfelt than before, and he's working here on a number of sides with the legendary Mulatu - with arrangements that have a angular, almost modernist edge. Despite the language barriers that keep us from understanding what Gessesse's singing about, there's an incredibly evocative quality to the work that transcends time and place.