It’s no coincidence that Vieux Farka Touré—son and anointed artistic heir to the late Mali music icon Ali Farka Touré—began his summer 2009 U.S. tour with an appearance at the Bonaroo festival in Tennessee. This is one African artist who has really figured out how to wind up a rock audience. This, his second release, vividly demonstrates how he does that—i.e. with a big, powerful, guitar-focused sound that encapsulates the rhythmic complexity of northern Malian folklore into compact songs with driving grooves, expansive soloing, and rich echoes of classic rock and blues.
The opener “Fafa” is a tour-de-force of rippling, reverby guitar riffs, slow, pounding intensity and massive unison vocals that seem capable of rousing the dead. The CD notes don’t tell us what Vieux is singing about, but his vocals—stronger and surer than on his also-excellent debut release—communicate loads of passion and commitment. “Al Hira” is a 12/8, Songhai groove with scant vocals, and waves of highly technical but super relaxed guitar playing, delivered in the chorused tone Malian axe-men—including Vieux’s dad—have long favored. From there, “Souba Souba” settles into a cool, John Lee Hooker-like groove with Vieux singing sweet and low on the opening and then in high, crying unison with his guitar on the B-section.
“Sarama” is a driving 4/4 chugger with an air of roadhouse rock ‘n roll. “Wale” and “Slow Jam” ease off on a little, and introduce traditional sounds—calabash percussion on the former, and ngoni (spike lute) on the latter. “Mali” a grandiose takamba jam with dueling guitars and ngoni, features the voice of Afel Bocoum, a brilliant Songhai singer/songwriter/guitarist who came up accompanying Ali Farka Touré. (Including Bocoum is a nice touch as he is an extraordinary talent whose career has arguably been overshadowed by the worldwide ascent of young Touré.)
Late in this beautifully paced CD, we get two more unusual tracks, “Diaraby Magni,” a reggae jaunt with overt references to Bob Marley’s “War,” and “Paradise,” a gorgeous reprise of Vieux’s earlier collaboration with kora virtuoso and Mande music superstar Toumani Diabaté. Diabaté won a Grammy Award for his collaboration with Touré Sr, (In The Heart of the Moon), and he been a mentor to Vieux for years. Their convergence of Mande and Songhai traditions is both personally inspiring and musically satisfying. Kudos to co-producer Yossi Fine for helping steward the career of one of Africa’s most promising young stars with such taste and assurance.
It’s no coincidence that Vieux Farka Touré—son and anointed artistic heir to the late Mali music icon Ali Farka Touré—began his summer 2009 U.S. tour with an appearance at the Bonaroo festival in Tennessee. This is one African artist who has really figured out how to wind up a rock audience. This, his second release, vividly demonstrates how he does that—i.e. with a big, powerful, guitar-focused sound that encapsulates the rhythmic complexity of northern Malian folklore into compact songs with driving grooves, expansive soloing, and rich echoes of classic rock and blues. 