Boubé – Voyager

The Tuareg/desert blues scene has a new name: Boubé. The young musician from Niger, based in Montreal, is releasing Voyager, his first EP. The man who won the Silver Syli award from Productions Nuits d’Afrique in 2024 has surrounded himself with a solid trio from the Montreal scene: Vincent Duhaime Perreault, Carlo Birri and Sylvain Plante. Essentially, guitars, bass and percussion propel catchy, generous melodies and the engaging voice of the young musician, who talks about subjects rooted in the nomadic nature of the Tuareg people: travel, contact with others on the various paths of life, ‘not forced’ exile, because it’s in the DNA of this people to always be on the move. Boubé takes this notion a step further by moving to Montreal a few years ago. It’s a calculated choice to take advantage of the excellence of the Montreal scene, as well as benefiting from the support of Productions Nuits d’Afrique for this well-crafted release. 

If you recognise some of the impulses of Bombino, an elder and star of desert blues, you’re not wrong, because Boubé was his protégé for a time. More generally, Boubé’s electric, sun-drenched music makes its way through the grooves cut into the sandy granularity of the immense panoramas of Saharan Africa. Tinariwen, Etran Finawatra (of course) and especially Mdou Moctar, a much more recent arrival and another of the young Montrealer’s declared affiliations, have all left their stylistic mark on this album. 

There’s a lot of power in the sonic surges emanating from Boubé’s quartet, but also a gentleness of intention and purpose. We sense the beauty of an open and curious mind, respectful of others and eager to reach out to them. Like a sirocco that hits hard but soothes the soul. An unforgettable effect, a touching contradiction.

THE ALBUM WIL BE LAUNCHED MARCH 29 AT BALATTOU

The title track, Voyager, has all the makings of a viral summer hit. The other five tracks on the EP are perhaps a little too similar, harmonically and melodically speaking, to this one, but we’ll give him time to polish up the rest of his repertoire for an eventual full-length album. It’s true that when you have such an effective earworm on hand, it’s hard to forget it and move on to something else.

Voyager (the album) transports the mind and warms the heart.