“Picc Ramatou” is a collaborative single featuring Cheikh Guissé of Les Frères Guissé, a Senegalese trio celebrated for their fusion of West African traditions with contemporary elements. They perform in Wolof and Pulaar, focusing on themes like unity, peace, and migration. Joining him are Eleanor Dubinsky, a U.S.-based vocalist and songwriter renowned for her multilingual performances in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese, and Dario Acosta Teich, an Argentine guitarist who blends Latin American folk with jazz and experimental music.

This track combines West African folk with a global sound palette. Sung in Wolof, it narrates the journey of a red-billed firefinch released at a street market to search for a friend who has vanished. Tragically, the bird finds only a pile of clothes and shoes on a beach, signalling that the friend may have drowned trying to reach France, the “hexagon,” for a better life. The song concludes with the bird’s owner praying for his friend’s peace in heaven.

The creation of “Picc Ramatou” stemmed from an informal jam session in a home studio, where Guissé recounted the story in Wolof as Dubinsky and Acosta Teich developed the musical backdrop. The instrumentation blends acoustic guitar, calebasse (gourd percussion), cello, piano, and electric bass, crafting a textured, multicultural soundscape. The song poignantly addresses the harsh realities of migration through emotionally resonant storytelling and skilful musicianship.