Mulatu Astatke Mulatu Plays Mulatu
Mulatu Astatke's Mulatu Plays Mulatu arrives as a radiant coda, a farewell that reframes a lifetime of Ethio-jazz into widescreen arrangements and tender reinvention. Critics identify a deliberate balance between nostalgia and expansion: these are not mere reprises but reanimations, with extended improvisation and revived traditional Ethiopian instruments giving new life to familiar melodies.
Across three professional reviews that amount to a 90/100 consensus score, reviewers consistently praise expansive takes such as “Zèlèsègna Dèwèl”, “Chik Chikka” and “Nètsanèt” as standout tracks. PopMatters highlights the ten-minute shapeshifter “Zelesenga Dewel” as the album's anchor, while Uncut and AllMusic applaud the hypnotic percussion of “Chik Chikka” and the career-summing gravitas of “Mulatu” and “Yèkèrmo Sèw”. Reviewers note arrangement and expansion as central themes: lush horn charts, fuller band dialogues, and a revived focus on traditional instruments that emphasize legacy rather than retrospection.
While praise is unanimous about the record's status as a highpoint at the end of Mulatu's final tour, critics offer nuance — some point to indulgent stretches in longer tracks even as they concede those moments showcase interpretive daring. The professional reviews collectively frame Mulatu Plays Mulatu as a celebratory, inventive summation of an Ethio-jazz life, a work that reasserts Mulatu's arranging genius and secures his legacy.
Below, detailed reviews unpack how these best songs on Mulatu Plays Mulatu function as both tribute and reinvention within a career-closing statement.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Chik Chikka
2 mentions
"Vocal ululations and syncopated handclaps on “Chik Chikka” evoke East African folk sounds with particular aural acuity,"— PopMatters
Nètsanèt
2 mentions
"On “Netsanet”, the voice of the bowed masenqo sings in nimble dialogue with sparkling piano."— PopMatters
Zèlèsègna Dèwèl
3 mentions
"The cutting edge gleams from the start with “Zelesenga Dewel”, an opener that begins with fluid instrumental experimentation"— PopMatters
Vocal ululations and syncopated handclaps on “Chik Chikka” evoke East African folk sounds with particular aural acuity,
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Zèlèsègna Dèwèl
Kulun
Nètsanèt
Yèkèrmo Sèw
Azmari
Chik Chikka
The Way To Nice
Motherland Intro
Motherland
Mulatu
Yèkatit
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 3 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
There is a gleaming triumph at the heart of Mulatu Plays Mulatu, where Mulatu Astatke reframes his canon with daring scope and tenderness. The review dwells on opener “Zelesenga Dewel”, which the writer describes as a ten-minute shapeshifter that anchors the album, and on tracks like “Netsanet” and “Chik Chikka” for their instrumental dialogues and folk textures. The voice is admiring and meticulous, insisting that these best songs on Mulatu Plays Mulatu are not rehashes but expansive reinventions. For readers asking what the best tracks on Mulatu Plays Mulatu are, the review points to “Zelesenga Dewel”, “Netsanet”, and “Chik Chikka” as standout moments that showcase Mulatu's band and arranging genius.
Key Points
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The best song is the opener “Zelesenga Dewel” because it shapeshifts across ten minutes and showcases the band's full range.
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The album's core strengths are its expansive rearrangements, integration of Ethiopian instruments, and reverent yet adventurous reimagining of Mulatu's legacy.
Themes
Critic's Take
Mulatu Astatke arrives at the end of a storied career with Mulatu Plays Mulatu, and the review leans into the record as a triumphant final statement rather than a retreat. The tone is reverent and celebratory, noting that at 81 he is "ending his career at a peak," which naturally spotlights the album's standout moments. For listeners searching for the best tracks on Mulatu Plays Mulatu the review frames the album as a whole-body highlight, implying that songs like “Mulatu” and “Motherland” carry special weight in this farewell. The voice is admiring, concise, and keen to present this as legacy-defining music rather than a greatest-hits compilation.
Key Points
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The title track "Mulatu" functions as a namesake centerpiece, embodying the album's farewell grandeur.
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The album's core strength is its sense of culmination: an admired artist concluding his career at an artistic peak.
Themes
Critic's Take
Mulatu Astatke doesn’t so much revisit his past on Mulatu Plays Mulatu as reanimate it, and the best songs on Mulatu Plays Mulatu - notably “Chik Chikka” and “Yekermo Sew” - feel larger and more alive than before. Pattison’s prose revels in widescreen textures, describing “Yekermo Sew” stretched out with extended improvisation and “Chik Chikka” trumping earlier takes with hypnotic hand percussion. The record’s takes on “Zelesenga Dewel” and “Kulun” are praised for richer detail, while funk-leaning cuts like “Netsanet” and “Yekatit” keep the groove firmly in the pocket. Overall, it reads as a reverent, inventive summation of a career rather than a mere nostalgia trip.
Key Points
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The best song work comes from reimagined classics like "Chik Chikka" where new takes outshine prior versions.
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The album’s strengths are its widescreen reworkings, clear production that spotlights traditional Ethiopian instruments, and sustained swing and funk grooves.