At its best, the music of the African nation of Mali has a unique ability to evoke the sensation of being simultaneously time-bound and timeless. Its plaintive, rustic stringed instruments and bluesy cadences are grounded in earthy tones, yet its repetitive, cycling riffs and ethereally graceful vocal melodies seem derived from more celestial sources. Young songwriter/vocalist Rokia Traore has quickly emerged as one of that tradition’s most promising new talents thanks to her knack for pairing pointed, topical lyrics with spellbindingly beautiful melodies that compare favorably with those of her great Malian mentor, Ali Farka Toure.
ROKIA TRAORE is in town for a late show Friday at HotHouse, 31 E. Balbo St. 312-362-9707.
ROBERT RANDOLPH and the FAMILY BAND, Friday at House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn St. 312-923-2000: Growing up in the “sacred steel” tradition, Robert Randolph learned to coax ecstatic wails and big, choir-leading chords out of the pedal steel guitar during Sunday services, but as his debut CD, “Live at the Wetlands,” proves, he can also put the pedal steel to steamy, searing, more profane uses. Randolph and his quartet specialize in fervid, sometimes longwinded jams that rise from a well-stoked stew of gospel melody, raw funk and Dixie-style country-rock.
J.J. CALE, Tuesday at the Park West, 322 W. Armitage Ave. 312-559-1212: Renowned songwriter J.J. Cale has made a nice living writing songs that other artists have turned into classic rock staples (“Cocaine,” “After Midnight,” “Call Me the Breeze”) and then lived a quiet life while those artists enjoyed/endured the insane highs and lows of mega-stardom. On his latest “Live” CD, Cale showcases many of his best-known songs as well as his signature sound: rolling, semi-bluesy guitar lines and casual, spoken-sung vocals.
FITZGERALD’S AMERICAN MUSIC FESTIVAL, Wednesday, Thursday, June 5 and 6 at FitzGerald’s, 6615 Roosevelt Rd., Berwyn. 708-788-2118: This event always ranks as one of the area’s finest summer showcases, and this year’s lineup may be the festival’s best ever. Highlights include: Marcia Ball, Bill Kirchen on Wednesday; Dave Alvin, Los Straightjackets, Big Sandy and Jim Lauderdale on Thursday; Sonny Landreth, Billy Joe Shaver and Junior Brown July 5; Mavis Staples, Otis Clay, Alex Chilton and the Hackberry Ramblers July 6.
RES, Friday at the Double Door, 1572 N. Milwaukee Ave. 773-489-3160: Given how fashionable the neo-soul sound has become, it’s increasingly difficult to make music that mingles hip-hop, pop and classic R&B without sounding like a Macy Gray/Lauryn Hill imitator. However, young vocalist and songwriter Res makes a distinctive mark on the genre with her slick-grooved, often catchy CD “How I Do,” which broadens the neo-soul m.o. by imaginatively adding rock, drum ‘n’ bass and dub influences to the old school soul template.
THE MAKERS, Friday at the Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave. 773-276-3600: You wouldn’t know it from listening to the Makers’ engaging new CD, “Strangest Parade,” but the quartet spent the first half of its 10-year career cranking out wild, untamed garage-rock. However, the Makers rapidly evolved into a sophisticated, classic-rock recycling unit, and their great new disc is another impressively tuneful, well-crafted fusion of ’70’s-style Stones-y rock and Bowie-esque grandeur.
CHRIS ISAAK and NATALIE MERCHANT, Saturday at the Tweeter Center, I-80 and Harlem Ave., Tinley Park. 708-614-1616: It’s hard to imagine fans of Chris Isaak’s smooth, brooding, contemporary rockabilly whooping it up with devotees of Natalie Merchant’s self-consciously weighty Earth Mother poesy. In addition to his TV show, Isaak is out supporting a new collection of lightweight yet thoroughly lyrical tunes titled “Always Got Tonight,” while Merchant’s latest opus, “Motherland,” finds her setting her cautionary fables in slightly more rough-grained, rustic arrangements.
Also: Taste of Chicago Headliners: Brian McKnight on Friday; Vince Gill on Saturday; Indigo Girls, Midnight Oil and Marcia Ball on Wednesday.
