Albums to watch

Mulatu Steps Ahead

Mulatu Astatke

Mulatu Steps Ahead

First solo album in 20 years from the legendary father of Ethio-jazz

ADM rating[?]

7.3

Label
Strut
UK Release date
29/03/2010
  1. 9.0 |   musicOMH

    You probably don't need to know much about Western (let alone Ethiopian) jazz in order to recognise and enjoy Astatke's genius, which is so proudly on display here
    Read Review

  2. 8.3 |   Pitchfork

    A much more coherent record than a lot of heavily improvisational modern jazz albums. It's a very easy album to access for listeners who aren't particularly schooled in either jazz or the Ethiopiques series
    Read Review

  3. 8.0 |   Mojo

    A name to drop with the trendy hordes of Hoxton, as is proved by this set. Print edition only

  4. 8.0 |   Q

    This latest solo collection is a meditational affair. Print edition only

  5. 8.0 |   Daily Telegraph

    An album of dreamy, mostly instrumental music shot through with bitter-sweet traditional flavours
    Read Review

  6. 8.0 |   The Independent

    An enjoyably eclectic collection in which Astatke standards like the Afro-Latin groove "I Faram Gami I Faram" and "Mulatu's Mood" rub shoulders with more recent compositions
    Read Review

  7. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    Mulatu Astatke confidently doing what he does best: providing inventive arrangements, bringing the best out of his collaborators, offering glimpses of the unfamiliar amidst familiar materials, and capturing experience with quiet majesty
    Read Review

  8. 7.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    As the West continues to explore Africa, to embellish its many cultures, Mulatu Steps Ahead acts as a proponent of liberalism and travelled sophistication. More please
    Read Review

  9. 6.0 |   The Quietus

    Anyone expecting the rawer grooves of the 1970s would at these points be forgiven for scuttling back to their Ethiopiques comps, where the smoothness is scuffed by age
    Read Review

  10. 6.0 |   The Guardian

    It's a classy, sophisticated set that proves Astatke is still a musical force in his mid 60s. But he should have cut out the deadpan announcements during the tracks
    Read Review

  11. 6.0 |   The Digital Fix

    It is the very welcome yet too infrequent African elements that provide the most areas of interest.
    Read Review


blog comments powered by Disqus

Watch it

Roll over video for more options

Hear it

Preview & download it

Mulatu Astatke: Mulatu Steps Ahead

  • Download full album for just £7.99
  • 1. Radcliffe £0.99
  • 2. Green Africa £0.99
  • 3. The Way To Nice £0.99
  • 4. Assosa £0.99
  • 5. I Faram Gami I Faram £0.99
  • 6. Mulatu's Mood £0.99
  • 7. Ethio Blues £0.99
  • 8. Boogaloo £0.99
  • 9. Motherland £0.99
  • Service provided by 7Digital

Latest Reviews

More reviews