For the last 10 years, Ethio-American singer and writer Meklit Hadero has been making our life more colourful, joyful and adventurous with her open-minded approach to Ethiopian traditions and global jazz and soul, and her incredible vocals.

Starting with the self-released EP “Eight Songs” in 2008, she’s been trying to “bring together my Ethiopian homeland, and my many years in Brooklyn and the San Francisco Bay Area”, but with these words she described this year’s new full-length album, “When The People Move, The Music Moves Too”, which has received well-deserved praise both from critics and fans.

Listening to these 11 tracks, it’s simply not possible to categorize Meklit’s new material using either genres or geographical directions. East African jazz? West American soul? World music? Or maybe we should simply call her an audacious singer-songwriting? You’ll find all of that as soon as you play “When The People Move…”.

Guests like Andrew Bird and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band make the experience even more colourful and intense. You might actually find yourself overwhelmed with all the beauty Meklit accumulated on this record.

The whole album is one of 2017’s obligatory listens for anyone who appreciates great songwriting and singing. But you can start with the latest single off the album, “You Are My Luck”, accompanied by an official video directed by Salvatore Fullmore.

Stream “When The People Move The Music Moves Too” LP on Bandcamp and Spotify.

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Meklit on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud, www.