I did a post on this one four (!) years ago when Sleepy Lagoon was blessedly still active and had just posted a link on his site. Sad to say, it's gone now. Anyway, I played a few selections from this dazzling record on the radio show last week, and as a result got a few messages from folks in fruitless search for a live link. I thought it might be wise to make a new post with a fresh link. So here you are.
African Lament is a tremendous piece of work, one of those classically, formally exotica records that has a weird aura of specialness to it, a whiff of profound uniqueness without any radical digression, like Magne's Tropical Fantasy or Frank Hunter's White Goddess. It's also more than likely the best piece of vocal exotica outside of the Yma Sumac ouvre. Mournful, lush, utterly cinematic and faintly mystical stuff. Especially tremendous are "Kalahari Bushman,""Apartheid," and the epic"Rites of Passage 1-3."
AFRICAN LAMENT (320)