From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Mon Jun 21 2010 - 22:16:43 EDT
yKunelki: Teame Woldemichael Does it Again
By Biniam Tekle
June 21, 2010
In the early days, Teame Woldemichael's weekend club performances were
categorically dismissed as dreary. He was ridiculed relentlessly by
some, and many predicted his effort to become a viable singer was an
exercise in futility. In the face of such infliction the aspiring artist
stood his ground and continued to work hard. He did not let the nay
sayers deter him from achieving his ambition, he endured and persevered.
He sought out advises and learned from the best in the business. He also
established a close relationship with one of the prominent song writers
in Eritrea. In due course, people started to pay attention, they started
to listen to his music. Slowly but surely Teame made his mark. Many now
consider some of his songs as an essential part of a Tigrinya music
collection.
Talent comes in different spectrums but the critical ingredient that
makes a singer successful is the ability to connect with his or her
audience. A singer may possess an extraordinary vocal range but if the
ability to get through to the intended audience is not there that
natural endowment is rendered useless. Conversely, one can posses a
mediocre voice but if one can deliver with effective harmony one can
certainly sparkle. Teame neither have a mediocre voice nor a voice with
an extraordinary vocal range, nonetheless he managed to improve with
time. He worked hard on refining and perfecting his sound and like good
wine he got better with age. Importantly, he perfected the art of
conveying the meaning and mood of a song, working all the way into the
hearts of his listeners both in Eritrea and the Diaspora. With his new
CD entitled "yKunelki" Teame proved once again that he maintains a
staying power, an element that has eluded a number of his peers.
Teame's latest offering is a collection of twelve guaila and "modern"
tracks. The guaila songs were produced in Eritrea while the pop tracks
were put together in the US. Ten out of the twelve songs included in the
album are written by Teame's long time collaborator Aklilu Tesfatzion.
The core theme of the CD deals with the woes of romantic relationships.
The album also sees the participation of two legendary figures in the
Eritrean music scene, guitarist Selam Seyoum and vocalist Haile Ghebru.
The footprints of the versatile and highly sought after keyboardist
Temesgen "Puppa" Isack are also found on this CD. The involvement of
both Selam and Temesghen has certainly propelled this CD a notch high
placing it amongst the best products to hit the Eritrean music market
recently.
Although the musical arrangement on most of the guaila songs leaves much
to be desired, the tracks are constructed with catchy melodies. The
organically restrictive guaila beats, as is usually the case, do not
leave room for creativity. As such, the quality of a guaila song largely
hinges on the texture and depth of the lyrics, its melody, and delivery.
Teame works the guaila songs with melodies that are remarkably simple
and yet gentle and soothing. At first listen one can easily predict that
the guaila songs are sure to resonate with thousands of people and that
they are going to be crowd magnets on many a dancing floor.
In "seb btmali aynebrin'yu", the song written by the veteran artist
Haile Ghebru, Teame conveys a less than convincing emotional intensity
than the tone of the song calls for, merely lumbering on with a
lackluster monotone throughout the song. The song's saving grace,
however, comes from the suburb musical arrangement and accompaniment of
both Temesghen and Selam in keyboard and guitar respectively. The
exquisite intro by Temesghen's keyboard and the man with the Soul
Fingers' solo lead guitar interjections in this song give the track an
invigorating flare.
Track four entitled "AstebhLi" is an up-tempo song that boasts, in my
judgment, one of the well written lyrics in the album. The verses are
compelling and Teame punctuates his delivery with interesting phrasing
revealing another layer to his vocals. The song is arranged by Selam
seyoum and keyboardist Berhane Kidane with a lively saxophone work
contributed by Gidewon Habtom.
In "rHus Gama" Selam Seyoum, Berhane Kidane, and Teame collaborate to
reproduce a song that has graced weddings for generations. The
reproduction infuses so much passion into the track breathing a whole
new life into the song. If brides and grooms elect to play Teame's rHus
Gama in their weddings, cutting cakes will never be the same :-)
With this new release Teame does it again, the album does not offer
single songs to be picked from, rather it offers a body of work that
provides the listener with an exhilarating listening experience.
Teame has not only managed to transform himself into becoming one of the
viable performers out there but he also offers his time and energy for
causes that seek to contribute to the development of music in Eritrea.
At a personal level, Teame is an all around nice guy who consistently
projects positive attitude and I wish him more success with all his
future endeavors.
PS: For those who may be interested in acquiring his album contact
information is found at the bottom of the poster below
or you can visit Teame's Facebook profile
http://www.facebook.com/people/Teame-Woldemichael/100000694419584
Teame CD release info
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