Pirates Choice
by Orchestra Baobab

Pure brilliance. Every note on this album is spot on. Incredible slow-winding guitar and saxophone solos that make an impression every single time. A unique sound. Some find this album too slow. I can see the argument, but for me the slow pace actually adds to the beauty: it allows for enough time to really breathe in and digest every note. The guitar solo in Utrus Horas, starting at 03:42 is a good example, continuing until 06:30. The saxophone slowly displacing the singing in Coumba, from about 05:00 is another highlight. Yet another is the part in Ledi Ndieme M'Bodj, with the guitar solo starting from 02:55, continuing until the vocals make a fantastically sweet comeback at 03:42. And so I could go on detailing incredible sub-sections in the other songs. Every other album I listen too much in a certain period of time, I get tired of it. Except for this one. Been listening to it for the past 20 years, on a weekly basis I'd say, and I just can't get enough. (Edited)