Amadou Balake – “Whiskey et Coca-Cola” (1981) * Written by Amadou Balake * LP: Afro-Charanga * Label: Zamidou Productions
Sometime in the mid-seventies, Burkina Faso vocalist Amadou Traore adopted the name of a popular Mande folk song and became known forever more as Amadou Balake (“balake” means “porcupine”). Conversant in numerous genres, Balake recorded warba and Mandé dance music, but also excelled in the sounds of Cuba, as you can hear on his 1981 Afro-Charanga album. This eight-minute track tastes as much like sazon completa as it does whiskey or coke.