Boubacar Traoré

The soundtrack to independent filmmaker Jacques Sarasin’s documentary on this gifted guitarist and troubadour from Mali will be a real treat for fans of both Traoré and Ali Farka Touré. On this field recording extraordinaire, Traoré treats the listener to passionate and political soliloquies, both of which are integral parts of the film. When he teams up with daughter and vocal partner Rokia Traoré on “Sa Golo,” you can sense the spirituality and nobility of his dynasty. Others, like the lovely, lazy opening song, “Mouso Teke Soma Ye,” and the short “Adieu Pierrette,” require nothing more than imagination to guess where this sonic journey is going. Mix in one part blues with the pentatonic scale of his homeland, toss in some good ol’ fashioned grit, and you’re heading down the right path.