SOBA

Formed by singer-guitarist Moussa Koita, harmonica player Vincent Bucher, and drummer Émile Biayenda, SOBA bridges the gap between Mandinka song traditions and Mississippi blues. The result is an Afro-blues sound—at once earthy and radiant—through which the trio explores the depths of the human soul.

To trace the roots of the blues, one must travel from Chicago to the Mississippi, sail south to New Orleans via Memphis, set off for the Caribbean, and finally cross the Atlantic to the shores of West Africa. One might watch Martin Scorsese’s *Feel Like Going Home* or immerse oneself in historic recordings, ranging from American pioneer W.C. Handy to Malian master Ali Farka Touré. To fully grasp the journeys that keep the blues forever young, one can simply listen to a brilliant album that brings it all into focus: *Fiman*, by the Franco-Burkinabe trio SOBA.

“Soba” means “big house” in Dioula, a Mandinka language spoken notably in Burkina Faso. A home for friendly reunions and musical camaraderie, Soba is the roof under which Moussa Koita, Vincent Bucher, and Émile Biayenda come together. The group took shape over the last six years; the members first met while working on each other’s projects before deciding to build a band of their own upon their shared foundation of blues music.

For the creation of the album *Fiman*, Moussa Koita brought the lyrics and melodies. Vincent Bucher adapted his harmonica playing—drawing on the styles of Sonny Boy Williamson and James Cotton, and ranging from silky smooth to gritty and distorted—to the nuances of Mandinka music. None of this fazed Émile Biayenda, a drummer who combines jazz-like freedom with the heritage of traditional Congolese percussion. The songs, having been honed through live performances, were recorded in the studio under live conditions. They are as fresh as they are raw. The songs address themes such as inequality, corruption, the nostalgia of exiles, and the challenges faced by mixed-race couples, all set against simple, direct arrangements. In this magnificent way, SOBA follows in the footsteps of African troubadours and Mississippi bluesmen who—armed with rudimentary means yet delivering transcendent performances—explored every facet of human nature.