Boubacar Traoré: Mali Denhou – review

Boubacar Traoré is one of the great veteran exponents of the African blues, a guitarist, singer and songwriter with a long, and sometimes pained history. At the time of Mali's independence, 50 years ago, he was a national celebrity, and the young sharp dressers of Bamako would dance to his songs such as Mali Twist and Kar Kar Madison: he was known as Kar Kar ("Dribble") because he was also a footballer. But by the late 1960s he had returned to his home region to work as a tailor and farmer, and later, after the death of his wife, he moved to France as a migrant labourer on building sites. Thankfully, he was persuaded to start recording again in 1990, since when he has revived his career in Mali. This is his first album in six years and shows he's still in impressive form, matching his thoughtful, soulful voice against an acoustic guitar style that mixes blues riffs with west African influences. His easy going, gently rhythmic playing is backed by n'goni, calabash and balafon, with outstanding contributions from the French harmonica player Vincent Bucher, whose inventive, sensitive or driving solos perfectly complement Traoré's laid back style. He may be in his late 60s, but he's still one of Mali's finest musicians.