Vieux Farka Touré
With a slightly more electric guitar sound, Vieux Farka Touré follows in the footsteps of his father in a gorgeous mix of Mali music with Western elements. In the past ten years, Vieux Farka Touré released no fewer than seven highly acclaimed albums. Two of these were with Israeli star Idan Raichel, and one with special guests like Dave Matthews. In a collaborative effort with Khruangbin, Vieux also recorded the album “Ali” in 2022. This was an ode to his father’s music and had the kind of grooves in which to lose yourself completely.
Like father, like son? That’s what Vieux Farka Touré must have thought when he picked up the guitar and started making music, against his father’s wishes by the way. His father did get impressed by what he heard. They ended up making music together and Ali saw his son turn into a kind of desert version of John Lee Hooker.
Fans of his father’s mystical music would have been pleasantly surprised by Vieux’s latest album “Les racines”. This was an ode to his father’s tradition, the Mali Blues and the Songhai culture of West Africa. “Les racines” is the most traditional blues album by Vieux Farka Touré. With every new album, Vieux pushes the boundaries of the previous one. He is embracing new challenges and strengthens his reputation as one of the world’s most talented and innovative musicians.
