Pirates Choice

Down Beat - 4.5 out of 5 stars - "...Baobab's blend of Cuban son with West African idioms...along with jazz and French pop is just as remarkably original today..." Rolling Stone - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Cool, languid, insouciant...regarded as Baobab's peak..." Entertainment Weekly - "...A landmark export of African pop...A perfect album." - Rating: A Spin - 9 out of 10 - "...The most luxurious manifestation of West Africa and Cuba's 50-year-old musical connection....capturing Senegal's 11-piece Orchestra Baobab at its apex....As gorgeous as African pop gets." Rolling Stone - Ranked #4 in Rolling Stone's list of 2002's "10 Best Reissues"

Senegal's Orchestra Baobab were one of Dakar's most popular bands in the 1970s and `80s, but it wasn't until the 2000s that the rest of the world caught up with their beautifully eclectic, alluring Afro-pop sound. While the group's discography is full of gems, 1982's PIRATES CHOICE is one of their finest. Heavily influenced by rhumba and other Afro-Cuban flavors, PIRATES CHOICE also mixes in Jamaican influence alongside native African rhythms. Gentle bass and percussion percolates alongside soothing harmonies and agile guitar leads, creating the sunny, mellow vibe that permeates all six tracks (most of which clock in at seven or eight minutes each). A certified world music classic that belongs in the library of anyone remotely interested in African music, PIRATES CHOICE was reissued in 2002 with an additional disc of bonus tracks.|

Orchestra Baobab returned to rhumba with a vengeance on Pirate's Choice, but you have to wonder a little why this two-CD deluxe edition of the 1982 album received such unanimous praise from the world-music press. It's a strong album but positively sedate compared to the wild and woolly Bamba --guess it's a question of whether you prefer your African pop looking back to faithfully reflect its early roots or charging forward in new directions. The slow, measured "Utru Horas" and the gentle, lilting "Coumba" -- both featuring Issa Cissokho's sax as the principal solo instrument -- are the flipside to the hell-for-leather energy of Bamba. "Werente Serigne" gets that clip-clop galloping rhythm guitar, interwined lead guitar and sax lines, and magical Baobab harmonies working again, and "Ray M'bele" keeps the momentum high with a Barthelemy Attisso solo, who seems to have left his wah-wah and fuzz box at home this time. It's one of three Cuban songs Baobab reworked for the album, and maybe the fact that the singers are credited with writing all the originals (unlike Bamba, where Attisso's name is prominent in the credits) accounts for the mellow feel. The extra tracks are solid but none of them stand out enough to make you wonder why they weren't on the original LP. "Ngalam" and "Balla Daffe" have a slight reggae feel, and "Tourmaranke" could be an On Verra Ca outtake with its choppy syncopated riff and call-and-response vocals -- the mid-song handoff from guitar solo to sax to percussion breakdown is really nice, but it goes on a little too long. It's great to have a cover booklet with Malick Sidibe's excellent photos of late-'60s African music hipsters, but there's also a musical mystery -- the original World Circuit 1989 CD issue of the Pirate's Choice LP had alternate takes of "Utru Horas" and "Coumba" that aren't included here. This deluxe edition is full of solid music, but basically it's just too restrained to fully justify all the fuss surrounding it. ~ Don Snowden

70年代からおもにセネガルで活躍し、すでに20数枚のアルバムをリリースしているオーケストラ・バオバブの82年発表作が復刻。ヴォーカル、コーラスの魅力はもちろん、ジャマイカン・ジャズ風なバック演奏の、なんともいえないオトボケ感と気持ち良さは絶品。なおかつ全体を覆うのは、影響を受けたであろうキューバ音楽。ファンクやジャズなどに収まりきらない（ユッスー・ンドゥール以前の）アフリカならではのダンス音楽。
bounce (C)薄井久直