Longtime Ali Farka Toure cohort Afel Bocoum finally makes his bow as a recording artist unto himself with Alkibar, titled after his backing unit of percussion and stringed instruments. Bocoum accompanies his own vocals on guitar and composed most of the selections himself; although he shares Toure's passionate immediacy, his music has a more distinctively and traditionally African flavor that sets him apart. Like Toure's 1999 album, Alkibar was recorded in Bocoum's native village of Niafunke, supplying a raw, rootsy feel to the performances that underlines the music's already haunting qualities.