You can hear in this smoldering session Lobi's joy at having recently acquired a flanger pedal. His solos build to soaring, ecstatic heights, as unhinged as anything in African rock since. The set starts out slow and meditative with "Ni tugula mogo mi ko," conjuring a trance atmosphere that Lobi elevates systematically with his keening vocal and eloquent picking. You can almost feel the weight of a sweltering Bamako night as Lobi forcefully guides his band though musical catharsis.

By the time they kick into high gear on "Sigui Nyongon son fo," the weight has lifted and spirits are flying. Related articles.

By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use. To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy. Not long before he died—suddenly and unexpectedly in June, —Lobi recorded an unprecedented solo CD—just him and his guitar, in a single session with no overdubs. He came for his business, but he had an acoustic guitar, and I became very interested in it.

This history combined with the fact that he started out as a percussionist says a lot about the expressive, highly rhythmic, and transcendently bluesy guitar style Lobi went on to develop. The wedding band he played in specialized in Manding music, melodious, heptatonic praise songs drawing from an old standard repertoire.

I started to understand pentatonic melodies on the guitar. So when we went with this band to play at weddings, often I would ask if I could do a Bambara song. I would take the guitar and play a song, and everyone was happy with it. In the end, they would always ask for these songs.

In a city where most people enjoy their music at weddings and concerts and do not drink alcohol, the clubs where Lobi played were frequented by working class couples keen for a night of dancing. Lobi also drew fans of the more earthy African electric music music, and no doubt, a few more unsavory types as well.

Lobi became a skilled songwriter specializing in exhortations to party, or celebrations of love. A snapshot of a morning's work the album may be, but on Rainy Season Blues the soul of a man is captured for posterity with devastating effect. It was by chance that the session even took place at all. American producer Chris Eckman of the Walkabouts had been in town to record Tuareg desert rock band Tamikrest.

The rolling chords may resemble something recognisable as bluesy. Maybe the blues was inspired by Africa. Maybe the resemblance is just a coincidence. Louis Pattison Here, then, we have 10 songs, consisting of just voice and spare, picked acoustic guitar, captured with sparse effects and no overdubs. The guitar locks into circling patterns, sometimes roaming off on chiming, improvised tangents.

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