Ye Katama Hod (The Belly of the City)
Felmay Records (37 mins)
Born in Somalia to Ethiopian and Italian parents, and now based in Italy herself, vocalist Saba Anglana found inspiration for this album in Addis Ababa. Anglana’s musical ties with all three countries are strong, and can be heard clearly across this album. She expresses her songs in Somali, Amharic and English as her versatile voice soars confidently through the styles of her heritage, although the distinctive sounds of Ethiopian scales and rhythms seem to stand out most often.
The instrumental aspect here is also inspired: it’s a small group – Anglana is mostly backed by a trio with occasional guests – but the musicianship is superb, often sounding like a much bigger ensemble. Fabio Barovero’s accordion, especially, does a great job of bringing together the East African and southern European styles, sometimes filling the space of an Ethiojazz organ or an Italian folk organetto – even bringing hints of zydeco into the mix, as in the album’s highlight, the Somali-language ‘Ma Celin Karo’.
Ya Katama Hod serves to meditate upon and recreate the soundtrack of the big cities – particularly Addis Ababa and Mogadishu, and Saba Anglana’s voice allows us to swoop above and creep between the streets in this wonderful album.