Nuhamin Teferi has released a wonderful album titled ልቀህ ታይ (Be Seen Lifted High). Here is my review of the tracks.
She opens the album with "አባት አለኝ" an upbeat starter highlighting Psalm 23. In Track 2, she dives straight into the Gospel, praising Jesus for His love, washing away our sins, and making us priests for the Father, as sung in Revelation 1:5. Next is the title track, "ልቀህ ታይ" which seems to draw from John 3:30 "He must increase, but I must decrease" and 2nd Cor. 4:7 "We have this treasure in jars of clay"). She narrates the song with a powerful message: You saved me by Your mercy, made me a priest (repeating the theme from Track 2), and chose me to serve. The gist of it is: "I don’t deserve the glory; You do."
Then comes Track 4, "የእግዚአብሔር ልጅ" (The Son of God). It references Matthew 16:14, and it notes how many mistake Him for just a prophet, but she holds onto the Father's testimony: "እርሱን ስሙት" (Listen to Him).
Aaaaaand here's my favorite, a prayer and confession song titled "እስቲ ወደማን." It begins with a sweet, ሃገርኛ piano run. The lyrics ask, "Where can we go from You? We will follow You, Jesus, looking neither left nor right. We won’t pick up what we threw away, and we won’t return to our old ways."
I personally have a reservation regarding such declaration songs, tho. How does a vocal promise assure our future actions? የአፍ ብቻ ከሆነ ምን ጥቅም? We should perhaps pray for the grace to keep following Him instead. But still, it is good as long as it is sung with a humble posture, as she says, "በአንተ እንኖራለን" (In You we live). This leads into Track 6, "ነፍሴ ታከብርሃለች," in which she sings "I couldn't have done anything without You. So, I give You glory for everything in my life."
Track 7: "መሐሪነትህ," is a calm song with a the 60's Tizita-inspired melody, praising God’s mercy.
Track 8 is the viral one: "ስላልፈቀድክልኝ አመሰግናለሁ." She is grateful that God did not allow stuff and did not give her everything she wanted, but only what she needed. These lines sum it up perfectly:
"መከልከል በጊዜው ደስ ባያሰኝም
በጉዳት ከሚፈስ እንባ ግን አይበልጥም"
Track 9: "ለእኔ ሕይወት," sets Philippians 1:21 to a melody. The 10th track is called "አንድ ነን," where she sings for unity; in this divisive climate, we truly need this.
Track 11: "ማራናታ," reminds us that whatever we are going through, Jesus’ second coming is our hope, joy, and strength. Set in the Ambasel scale, its "incomplete" feel was likely chosen to show the "longing for His return." I wish this one was the closing song.
Track 12: "አዲሱ መንገድ" (The New Way), sums up the Gospel. She is doubling down on this theme, which is really nice.
Finally, Track 13: "በቸርነቱ," gives off "New Year" vibes. With lines like "ያንን ሁሉ ያሻገረን", "በቸርነቱ ዘመናት ለሚያቀዳጀው" and its Anchihoye mode, this song is definitely one for Meskerem ፩! 🤭
The fresh look on the motion graphics is a bonus. The lyrics, the tunes and arrangements and everything show how much time and effort the team put on these songs. Lets go show some love and support.
Links
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http://youtube.com/@nuhaminteferi
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http://open.spotify.com/album/7KyP3aO0v5K9eLscvUJPw2
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https://t.me/likehtay_bot
#new_mezmur
