The Malian singer-guitarist Bourama Traore, nicknamed Lobi, is a protégé and worthy successor to the great Ali Farka Touré. Although he was the son of a farmer, the music beckoned and Traore developed into a guitarist with a masterful technique and a singer with a powerful sound. He has a broad interest: he likes to listen to Ali Farka Touré, Salif Keïta and Mory Kanté, but also to John Lee
… Hooker, Ry Cooder, jazz, reggae and rock. Traore's melodies do show a relationship with the Bambara tradition, but are interpreted in a modern way in an atmosphere of 'bluesy' melancholy and lively energy. Traore likes positive lyrics and varied instrumentation, in which modern electric guitars mix with traditional instruments such as the kora, djembe, calabash and n'goni. The album Mali Blue is a compilation of the best tracks from his four studio albums Bambara blues (1991), Bamako (1994), Ségou (1996) and Duga (1998) and is therefore an excellent introduction to this 'bambara blues' singer. (SvdP)more
