Berhana didn’t suffer a sophomore slump when he released his second full-length set Amén (The Nomad’s Dream) this past October. The set was quality from top to bottom and expanded on the soundscape the singer laid the groundwork for on his 2019 debut HAN. Now he’s continuing to realize his dreams with a turn on NPR Music’s famed Tiny Desk Concert series for a performance that takes us through some of Amén's best cuts.
The singer-songwriter introduces the set with a brief, more subdued version of “Gone (Abebe Bikila)” before welcoming the gathered crowd to his performances. That leads into “Break Bread,” one of the album’s best moments and its third single. While it highlights Berhana’s musical prowess, it also gives shine to jazz pianist Kibrom Berhane and the group Ethio Cali, who serve as the backing band.
“Someday” is next up, keeping things light and jazzy with its swaying rhythm and bright sax and horn harmonies helping its hopeful chorus to float. Once that selection ends, he throws back to HAN with a rendition of “Golden.” The song gives him a moment to solicit some crowd participation as he stretches its structure with an interpolation of “Love To Love You Baby” before bringing it to a close.
The vibes continue much to the crowd’s delight with the romantic “Honeycomb” and pleading “Don’t Go” before he closes the set with Amén’s final track “Going Home.” The song, which crystallizes the Ethio-jazz influences that inspired the project, also captures the singer’s sentiments of embracing the moments that make life worthwhile.
“It’s because we live within this confined amount of time, that we’re able to find meaning,” he said before the song began. “I’ve been trying to accept that a little bit more and be grateful for the little moments like this that I get to share with you guys right now.”
His words and talent were definitely felt, but we would argue that this set was much more than just a “little moment.” In fact, it was an experience that we’ll happily relive again and again. You can do the same when you catch his Tiny Desk debut by pressing play below.
