As a long time listener of Elemo Ali’s songs and an ethnographic writer who explores the music of different cultures, I list down the albums released by the artist so far and present my reflections in some of them.

1. His first album was released in Djibouti (circa 1982)-

It was an audio cassette. Elemo used his acoustic guitar ( a.k.a. “box guitar”) for that album.

2. His second album released in Saudi Arabia- 1986.

It was an audio cassette and a female singer called “Shamsi” featured Elemo Ali (she had two solo songs; the rest of the songs were by Elemo) . In the cassette Elemo sung in Harari language too. But what many people remember from that cassette was Elemo’s singing Mahmoud Ahmed’s famous Amharic song called “እንቺ ልቤ እኮ ነው” in Oromo language. The lyrics used by Elemo was very similar to the Amharic one.

3. The album he has done with Nuho Gobana in Saudi Arabia (1987)-

This was also an audio cassette. From that album a single that goes like “Biiftuu tiyya, urjii tiyya, suma bira jira yaadni kiyya” became popular in the media (I repeatedly heard it while Harar Radio Stations Oromo Language Service broadcasted it).

However, people usually confuse this album with the one he released with “Shamsii”. This happened because the music arrangements of the two albums were the very similar.

4. The album he released in Italy in 1988:

Truly speaking, I have no detail information about this album. I heard recently from the words of Elemo when we communicate through telephone that he released an album in Italy while he was living in that country for a short period of time. I will seek additional information on the album and bring to the public.

Elemo Ali produced most of his albums in Canada and a gained popularity there. Here are the list of those albums and my reflection on them.

5. “Jabeessa Aadaa Teenya”-1989:.

According to my evaluation this was Elemo Ali’s finest album of all time and one of the best albums in the history of Oromo Music and art. The rich linguistic treasure seen in the lyrics of the songs, the artist’s ability to sing in different musical scales in addition to the standard pentatonic scale derived from Oromo cultural beats, and Elemo Ali’s emblematic ability to display the vocals in a clear way were the main features that gave the album special color and quality. The most surprising thing was that almost all of the lyrics an the melodies of that album were created by Elemo Ali himself. Of course songs like ” Xiyyaan Nadirtee”, “Yaa jiruu biyya Ormaa”, “Jabeessaa Aadaa Teenyaa”, ” Koottu yaa Boontuu”, “Yaa Urjii Samiidhaa” are unforgettable.

6. “Oromiya”- 1990:

Another critically acclaimed and artistically emboldened album of Elemo Ali. It was a historical album in which Elemo addressed the Oromo people’s quest for freedom and justice in a highly organized and rhythmically synthesized Oromo poetry. This was also one of the best albums seen in the history of Oromo music. From the album ” Yaa Biyya too Gaarii”, “Oromiyaa” and “Carcar Xirroo” were the top ones.

7. ” Guyyaanis Keenya”- 1993:

This was the first album of Elemo Ali produced by a local music shop in our country. In that album Elemo brought many new songs together with certain songs from his earlier cassets (example: “Baadiyyaadha jirtii tanin ani jaallee from his album with Nuho Gobana, and Kottu yaa Boontuu Yaa shaggee tiyya from his album of 1989)

The album was released by Biftu Music Shop of Dire Dawa and became one of the best selling Oromo music albums of 1993 together with Shamsadin Yusuf’s “illii Jannataa” album.

7. “Leelloo Tiyya”: 1998:

Another critically aclaimed album of Elemo Ali which contains songs in multiple beats , the Oromo traditional “ragada” and “Shaggoyee”, the Caribbean “reggae”, the Central African “rumba” and “Afrobeats”, the Sudanese “hageeba” and the Western “pop”, “jazz” and “blues”. The band accompanied him for that album as well had members from many countries, Africans and North Americans.(Continued from above)

From the album the single titled ” Himi naaf Himi” became the most popular.

It was clear that Elemo brought a tradition of using multiple beats from different traditions for his songs in order to introduce the Oromo, Ethiopian and East African music and culture to the global audience.

The album was very fruitful in attaining its goals and introducing Elemo Ali to music fans of different countries. Elemo Ali won Canada’s annual music award for that album.