“Pauline”, by Docteur Nico from Congo, features a beautiful guitar. I don’t know what the lyrics say, but at the very beginning I can make out “Hey Nico, Dieu de la guitarre”, “God of the guitar” in English. And of course, his popular name implies that he is a “doctor” of the guitar. He was one of the more famous African fingerpickers.

Even though I have never learned the specific techniques associated with Congolese fingerpicking style, I am attracted to any fingerpicking styles that differ from the singer-songwriter, UK-folk tradition. I love that style, for instance in “Fairest of the Seasons” by Nico and Jackson Browne. But fingerpicking is already highly reliant on muscle memory, and it is easy for me to get trapped, mechanically, into same-y generic patterns.

It seems that using a pick allows players to explore the more expressive, emotional side of the instrument, aka monophonic soloing and lines, which perhaps evoke the human voice more. All the more true with a slide. Finger-picking on the other hand opens up more of the intellectual side of the instrument, more complex patterns and crisp-cut harmonies.

I don’t know if Docteur Nico is using a pick anywhere on “Pauline”, but the combination of the two guitar styles on this track is magical. The multi-step sliding licks evoke shooting stars and give me the sensation of floating. The effect would be queasy, nauseating in less expert hands, but Docteur Nico’s play is exhilirating. I have listened to this song hundreds of times, but I get a delicious sense of anticipation waiting for the high-flying acrobatics. It is a dangerous, daring, suspenseful track, and yet incredibly gentle and intimate.

When I first heard this song, I thought of it as the African “Sleepwalk” (a well loved U.S. oldie by Santo & Johnny), but after many listens, I now recognize “Pauline” for the multi-faceted masterpiece that it is.