The well-known Malian singer/songwriter and guitarist Boubacar Traore has a career dating back to the '60s. The septuagenarian’s 2015 release Mbalimaou finds him in fine form. On “Dounia Djanjo,” Traore is backed by spare percussion and Oumar Barou Kouyate’s n’goni (a West African string instrument). The track moves at a stately pace as the singer sends warm greetings to his hometown, Kayes. Vincent Bucher’s harmonica colors the blues of “Hona,” and the title track features Soumaila Diabate’s sokou, a raw-toned one-string fiddle. Two instrumentals, “Bougoudani” and “Sina Mousso Djougou,” find Traore and kora player Ballake Sissoko engaging in inspired interplay.

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