That endlessly listenable feeling comes from the minimalism of the guitar, which sits easily on dance-tuned ears, and perhaps from the influence of Afro-rumba; the Afro-Cuban rhythms still speak to us today. A hypnotic pleasure emerges from the breezy guitar-music elements, and combined with a mysterious stillness it makes for an unbeatable record. The beautiful vocals and the muted trumpet lines are lovely too. Celestine, who was also a schoolteacher, seems to have been an innovator whose lyrics took a different approach from ordinary highlife. Our big recommendation this fall for acoustic African music. Some of this appeared on 90s world music compilation CDs, but it's a joy to have it collected on vinyl. You can listen to it forever. (Original Japanese text by Shhhhh)