Vieux Farka Touré

As you probably figured out on your own, Vieux Farka Touré is the son of the late Ali Farka Touré, one of Africa’s greatest guitarists. Ali Farka Touré was known for his hypnotic, propulsive fretwork, a style based on the mesmerizing kora (African harp) playing of Mali’s traditional musicians. There’s a lot of his father in Vieux’s playing, but he’s a more eclectic composer, dropping hints of reggae, rock, jazz and Congolese rumba into his music. The younger Farka Touré also is a singer with an expressive, wailing tenor that adds plenty of gritty soul to his compositions. The album includes understated duets between Vieux’s acoustic guitar and Toumani Diabaté’s kora, full-band reggae excursions and an extended jam with his father, the last music Ali Farka Touré recorded before his death.