Search - Boubacar Traore :: Macire

Macire
Boubacar Traore
Macire
Genres: Folk, International Music
 
  •  Track Listings (12) - Disc #1

Like the late Congolese rumba impresario Franco, Boubacar "Kar Kar" Traoré is a legendary artist whose music has been tough to find in the U.S. At home, when Traoré performed on Radio Mali in 1988 after a long hi...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Boubacar Traore
Title: Macire
Members Wishing: 2
Total Copies: 0
Release Date: 2/17/2009
Album Type: Import
Genres: Folk, International Music
Styles: Africa, Europe, Continental Europe
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Like the late Congolese rumba impresario Franco, Boubacar "Kar Kar" Traoré is a legendary artist whose music has been tough to find in the U.S. At home, when Traoré performed on Radio Mali in 1988 after a long hiatus, listeners who assumed he'd been dead for years feared a hoax. Here in his 50s, Traoré flexes his mastery of the acoustic guitar and blues-inflected vocals on his first readily available release in decades. Kar Kar's deeply soulful songs invite comparison with fellow Malian Ali Farka Toure. But if the gritty Ali Farka evokes John Lee Hooker, Kar Kar with his chiming guitar lines and smoke-tinged voice is closer to Mississippi John Hurt. The gracefully mournful "Les Enfants de Pierrette" is a tribute to his late wife, while on "Bebe Bo Nadero," a celebration of motherhood, he trades licks with pop star Habib Koite, the disc's artistic producer. Spanish guitar ripples through the meditative "Courir un Homme Qui Vous Aime," but Kar Kar can also pull off a jump-up number like the bouncy, unbridled "Kar Kar Madison," which reclaims a 1960s Malian dance craze. The give and take between African and African American genres is centuries old, but the tug of war seldom achieves a more satisfying equilibrium. --Bob Tarte.

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CD Reviews

Deeper than Your Soul
Deji | Somerville, MA | 12/07/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Boubacar Traore has taken my understanding of the blues, and to music in general, to a higher level. Together with Habib Koite, another Malian pioneer, this album is about as tight as I've ever heard. The recording is sharp, the solos and vocals hold nothing back, and it can be played for all occasions. The overall tone of the album is subdued and patient. It bounces you along slowly into a soundscape entirely Traore's. Every instrument is masterfully played, but again, I've gotta stress the vocals. Koite and Traore have incredible voices, friendly yet impassioned and colorful. This album is also an entirely different style than Ali Farka Toure - don't rank either artist over the other - it's basically futile to compare them except to say that Traore's work has a bit more of a beat. Both Toure and Traore have worked at Radio Mali and both artists are accepted as blues Masters in their home country. Macire has become my soundtrack for the world. Try it with headphones."
HIS SOUL THROUGH HIS VOICE
Larry L. Looney | Austin, Texas USA | 09/13/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the most moving albums of African music -- or of any genre -- I've ever experienced. Kar Kar's voice is so deep and soulful as he pours himself into these songs. They deal with life, love, death, loss and hardship -- and more. Accompanied by Habib Koite and his incredible band Bamada (see his fine recent release BARO), the arrangements are kept relatively simple, but they are so very beautiful and effective. The acoustic guitar work on all of the tracks is exquisite -- Keletigui Diabate's work on balafon and violin is also memorable. All of this is gifted to the listener through a crystal-clear recording.The package is attractively designed as well -- as I have come to expect from the French company Label Bleu. Even without full translations, the feeling and soul of these songs comes across very clearly.The music on this album can be universally appreciated -- by afficianados of world music as well as by those who would like to expand their musical horizons."
Music for all ages
Fourthcorner Reader | BELLINGHAM, WA USA | 06/10/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Some of the finest music ever recorded. This incredible collaboration with Habib Koite is a treasure. My fellow reviewers have already spelled why quite eloquently. All I can say is, if you like guitar, you will love this album. Note to parents: My 2 year old has actually come to me and sighed, "Mommy, I need Boubacar please.""