Lobi Traor (1961-2010) was a true African original, a guitarist of profound depth and originality, a singer and songwriter with universal appeal, and a performer who became part of the very fabric of Bamako, one of the world's most musical cities.Not long before he died-suddenly and unexpectedly in June, 2010-Lobi recorded an unprecedented solo CD-just him and his guitar, in a single session with no overdubs. Rainy Season Blues turns out to be Lobi's final statement,The session offers a magnificently lucid record of Lobi's core talent. His playing has never sounded cleaner, fresher or more nuanced. No guitarist alive phrases the way Lobi does, and to hear him unaccompanied like this is a treat not found on any of his other nine albums. Lobi's voice shows all its colors, from a soothing half-whisper to a world-weary growl, to keening melodic power vocal.