| Lala Belu | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 23, 2018 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:25 | |||
| Label | Awesome Tapes From Africa | |||
| Hailu Mergia chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.2/10 [3] |
| Metacritic | 81/100 [4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Guardian |  [5] |
| Pitchfork | 8/10 [6] |
Lala Belu is the second studio album by Ethiopian singer-songwriter Hailu Mergia. It was released on 23 February 2018 under Awesome Tapes From Africa. [7]
On 22 November 2017, Mergia announced his first album in 15 years, along with the single "Gum Gum". [8]
Lala Belu was met with "universal acclaim" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 81 based on 12 reviews. [4] Aggregator Album of the Year gave the release a 73 out of 100 based on a critical consensus of 7 reviews. [1] At AnyDecentMusic?, the release was rated 7.2 out of 10 based on 10 reviews. [3]
Timothy Monger of AllMusic described the album as a "lovely and deeply creative record", while explaining "touching on myriad emotions throughout its six tracks, the album is bright and joyful at times and occasionally funky while frequently veering into the more cerebral and introspective territory that marked his early solo years." [2]
| Publication | Accolade | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| AllMusic | AllMusic's Favourite Latin and World Albums | N/A [9] |
| Mojo | Mojo's Top 75 Albums of 2018 | 72 [10] |
| Passion of the Weiss | Passion of the Weiss' Top 50 Albums of 2018 | 42 [11] |
| Pitchfork | Pitchfork's 200 Best Albums of the Decade (2010s) | 185 [12] |
| The Wire | The Wire's Top 50 Albums of 2018 | 29 [13] |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tizita" | 10:00 |
| 2. | "Addis Nat" | 4:34 |
| 3. | "Gum Gum" | 6:47 |
| 4. | "Anchihoye Lene" | 7:06 |
| 5. | "Lala Belu" | 4:42 |
| 6. | "Yefikir Engurguro" | 6:15 |
Musicians
| Production
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Walias Band were an Ethiopian jazz and funk band active from the early 1970s until the early 1990s. Formed by members of the Venus Band, Walias backed up many prominent singers with a hard polyrhythmic funk sound influenced by western artists like King Curtis, Junior Walker and Maceo Parker. In 1977 they recorded one of the few albums of Ethiopian instrumental music in collaboration with vibraphonist Mulatu Astatke, whose role as a bandleader and composer was also a major influence on Ethiopian popular music.
Hailu Mergia is an Ethiopian keyboardist, accordionist, composer, and arranger now based in Washington D.C., United States. He is known for his role in the Walias Band in the 1970s, one of the most significant groups in Ethiopia’s "golden age" of music.
Awesome Tapes From Africa is a record label and website operated by Brian Shimkovitz, based in Los Angeles, California. The site was founded in 2006 in Brooklyn, New York.
Love & Hate is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka. The album was released on 15 July 2016 by Polydor Records (UK) and Interscope Records (US).
City Music is the fourth studio album by American indie rock musician Kevin Morby, released on June 16, 2017 on Dead Oceans.
The following is a list of events and releases that have happened or are expected to happen in 2018 in African music.
Hailu Mergia & His Classical Instrument, also known as Shemonmuanaye, is a 1985 studio album by Ethiopian jazz musician Hailu Mergia, formerly of the Walias Band. After the band split up in 1983, Mergia moved to the United States and began studying music at Howard University, during which time he discovered an accordion and began playing it. Initially intending to record a cassette of himself playing the accordion in a small studio belonging to an acquaintance at Howard, he also incorporated other instruments in the studio, such as a Rhodes piano and synthesiser.
Miss Universe is the debut studio album by the English indie rock singer Nilüfer Yanya, released on 22 March 2019 by ATO Records.
This (Is What I Wanted to Tell You) is the thirteenth studio album by American band Lambchop, released on March 22, 2019. The album appeared 50th on the Mojo magazine's albums of the year list.
Phoenix is the fifth studio album by American indie rock band Pedro the Lion. It was released on January 18, 2019, through Polyvinyl Record Co.
Marigold is the fourth studio album by Pinegrove, released through Rough Trade Records on January 17, 2020. The album was produced by the band's frontman, singer-songwriter Evan Stephens Hall, as well as guitarist Sam Skinner. As with the band's previous album, Marigold was recorded and mixed at Amperland, a rural farmhouse occupied by the group in upstate New York.
Snapshot of a Beginner is the fourth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Nap Eyes. It was released on March 27, 2020, by Jagjaguwar.
The True Story of Bananagun is the debut studio album by Australian band Bananagun. It was released on 26 June 2020 and debuted at number 40 on the ARIA Charts.
Your Hero Is Not Dead is the debut studio album by English musician Westerman. It was released on 5 June 2020 under Partisan Records in the US and PIAS Recordings in the Europe.
Altid Sammen is the fifth studio album by Danish band Efterklang. It was released on 20 September 2019 under 4AD in the UK and US, and their own label Rumraket in Europe.
The Lamb is the third studio album by American musician Lillie West, under music project Lala Lala. It was released on September 28, 2018 under Hardly Art.
Sculptor is the third studio album by Australian indie folk band Luluc. It was released on 13 July 2018, under Sub Pop.
Wyatt at the Coyote Palace is the ninth studio album by American musician Kristin Hersh. It was released on November 11, 2016 in the form of a book and album, through Omnibus Press.
Off Off On is the fifth studio album by British band This Is the Kit. It was released on 23 October 2020 through Rough Trade Records, making it the band's second album for the label. Recording sessions took place at Real World Studios in Wiltshire. Production was handled by Josh Kaufman. The album debuted at number 21 on the UK Albums Chart.
The Ethiopian Golden Age of Music was an era of Ethiopian music that began around the 1960s to 1970s, until the Derg regime progressively diminished its presence through politically motivated persecutions and retributions against musicians and companies, which left many to self-imposed exile to North America and Europe. Several artists and musical companies, as well as recording groups, emerged to produce their own singles and albums; the first being Amha Records, and Philips Records, Ethiopia Records and Kaifa Records, which is primarily based in Addis Ababa.
