Boubacar Traoré stands alongside Ali Farka Touré as a true master of West African blues guitar. He'll probably spend the rest of his life in Touré's shadow, but his music is brilliantly personal, low key, and melodic—and it deserves far more attention than it currently receives. Of course, Traoré was a massive star in Mali back in the heady early days of independence, and his optimistic “Mali Twist” got more than a few people moving in the early '60s (and undoubtedly still does, if only in their memories). But he dropped out of sight a couple of times for economic and personal reasons, and those gaps contributed to his relative obscurity.

In any case, the onetime soccer star, tailor, and farmer is back with a collection of nine rootsy blues pieces on Kongo Magni. They're as soulful, musically concise, and direct as anything he has done. Each piece conveys a message of its own (spelled out in the liner notes) and it's worth taking the time to appreciate the implications of the lyrics, which touch on unity, peace, social harmony, and self-sufficiency, plus tributes to Malian independence, children, and farmers.

The sheer emotion and impact of “Dounia Tabolo” (dedicated to his departed wife and latest granddaughter, who share the same name) manifest themselves in Traore's unusually high, fragile voice and the relative simplicity of the accompaniment, which consists of only guitar and unobtrusive percussion. This piece comes the closest in message to the dark-hued American version of the blues, but it's harmonically simple, based on two keys. (Like much of the album.)

Traore makes judicious use of harmonica (Vincent Bucher) or accordion (Régis Gizavo) on five of nine tunes, and it's interesting to hear how these adopted instruments function within the open harmonies and scales the guitarist prefers. Overall they're a good ingredient in the mix, opening up its timbral range, but somehow the kamele ngoni (the so-called “young person's lute”) and balafon (a wooden xylophone-like instrument) sound much more at home. No mystery there, because they're quite possibly as old as the Ancient Empire of Mali itself.

In listening to this music, it's obvious that Boubacar Traoré is hardly a virtuoso on either guitar or voice. But he's wisely chosen a path that emphasizes message, pacing, and an almost minimalistic picking style—which are totally incompatible with instrumental or vocal gymnastics in any case. The notes he plays, and the melodies he sings, are utterly genuine and personal, which is one reason his music is so moving.

Warm, inviting, peaceful, and positive, Kongo Magni is just the thing when life seems to move too fast. Traore is so well grounded that he imparts this quality upon his listeners as well.

Note: Boubacar Traoré is touring the United States in September and October. For the details, click here. Three other Boubacar Traoré albums, including his debut and a new soundtrack, are available for download in mp3 form from the “fair trade” world music site Calabash Music.