 
Lobi Traoré is an unsung hero of Malian guitar. Unjustly so, as he
is every bit as good as Ali Farka Touré and even better, on this fabulous
album. Lately every single Ali Farka track has reappeared in some form
or another and it's getting pretty monotonous. Tinariwen has that Creedence
Clearwater rumble going to make them vital, but Lobi still wakes you
up with his version of the Desert Blues. I think the presence of Yves
Wernert, super-producer of the Issa Bagayogo albums, lends a lot to
this session. There's a full band, for which Ali Farka sits behind the
board and twiddles while Lobi burns. (Actually he plays matchbox on
one track! No lie.) There's a big dose of rock and roll but things chill
on the fifth track which, with its ngoni lead and female chorus, sounds
a lot like the great Issa Bagayogo albums. Much is made of the blues
roots heard in Malian music, but this is an out-and-out rock album,
with lots of crunching guitar, wah wah, harmonica, drums and bass, but
there's also enough of the genuine Malian soundscape to make it compelling.
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Lobi
Traore