Search - Boubacar Traore :: Kongo Magni

Great Malian Blues

DJDecca | San Francisco Bay Area | 09/19/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Malian singer/composer/guitarist scores again with a release full of the passionate, Afro blues music for which he is justly famous. He's backed by a small combo which includes accordion, harmonica, balafon and traditional percussion. It's rich , honest, and oh so good. He knows pain, and it comes though in his music. This release should appeal to fans of all blues, not just those that like world music. The more I listen to this, the more I love it."

HYPNOTIC, SOULFUL AND TRANSCENDENT

o dubhthaigh | north rustico, pei, canada | 10/07/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"From the master guitarist of Mali (believe it or not, he's been called in Brit folk magazines the Neil Young of Mali - ?????), here is a CD of deep and soulful music beautifully played. Traore puts me in mind of Mississippi Fred McDowell in the unaffected way he picks the guitar and in the deeply human pain that infuses his voice. The winds of the dessert blow through this man's voice. He has lived this music and it comes with all the mystic, griot power of truth handed down the ages. This, like many of his recent CDs, is so genuinely delivered that its subtlety easily washes over you. You will find yourself replaying this often to get every bit of news our each note. There is so much on offer."

Good music, though not the best from Kar Kar

"Ian Herrick" | San Jose, CA | 04/17/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"While I love Boubacar Traore and enjoy listening to this album, it is not my favorite. That being said, don't let my criticisms deter you from listening to it. Kar Kar and his fellow musicians have succeeded in making a new kind of music with this album -- a kind of Kayes-based world folk. All the non-African musicians who play with Kar Kar do a great job of playing those distinctive Kar Kar melodies, and yet the effect is something quite different than when Kar Kar plays with other Malians, as on "Sa Golo" or "Macire." It is not bad, in fact it is quite good, but it is also not what a fan of Malian music might expect.

It is not this new type of music that makes me feel this is not Kar Kar's best, however. That opinion derives from Kar Kar's singing, which I feel sounds hoarse and weak compared to the strong smoky vocals of his previous albums. His guitar is still quite excellent however. My favorite track is the instrumental duet of guitar and harmonica."