Pop Matters,
Best of 2011
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“Africa’s Jimi Hendrix” left us with a gift for his last album, a stunner of guitar-centric African rock featuring standout tracks like “Saya” and “Jama”, all building to the ten-minute jam/head-twister “Ya Time”, which was probably the best song I heard all year, period. It’s hard to look past a masterpiece like that, but Bwati Kono isn’t a one-song album; it’s a terrific collection of tunes with a particular song that towers above the others. Traore got his Hendrix nickname through judicious use of guitar effects, and there are plenty of stompers here, but don’t overlook his top-notch songwriting; witness tunes like “Banan Ni” and “Bi Dongo Fa Ko”, which place the technical wizardry in service to simple melody and heartfelt singing. It’s a shame that Traore, who died in 2010, won’t leave us with more music, but no one can deny that he went out on a high note. 12/23/11
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