25 songs i can’t live without: Ibrahim Ferrer - “Candela”

i can’t remember where i was when i first heard this song, but when i first HEARD it, i was on a boat off the southwest coast of Mexico. i was with family, the weather was perfect and the captain was catching bonitas off the stern (which we would devour minutes later). this came on and i found myself consumed by the texture and warmth of the music — for a few minutes i paid attention to nothing else. something had me hearing this song differently than i ever had before. it was a beautiful moment, and from that point on, el Son Cubano has been an essential ingredient in my life.