In Mali KarKar means 'dribble' and Boubacar Traoré received this nickname as a promising young football player. After a serious injury, KarKar switched to a successful career as a singer-songwriter-guitarist; in the sixties everyone danced to his hits Mali Twist and KarKar Madison. He was forgotten when he left the low-earning music business to support his family as a laborer. Decades later, he
… was taken back to the stage by tenacious journalists and the veteran embarked on a renewed career. On his eighth album Mali Denhou, Traoré keeps it as simple as possible: at a leisurely pace he pays tribute to his family, his hometown Kayes, native Mali and the African continent with his deep singing voice and kora-like strumming guitar playing. Here is a very modest accompaniment of gourd, balafon and ngoni. What is striking is the large part of the Frenchman Vincent Bucher, who plays a musical question and answer game with Traoré with his harmonica playing. (SvdP)more
