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Sample Track 1:
"Ana" from Vieux Farka Touré
Sample Track 2:
"Ma Hine Cocore" from Vieux Farka Touré
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CD Review: New music from Lucinda Williams, Tommy Castro, more

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Reno Gazette-Journal, CD Review: New music from Lucinda Williams, Tommy Castro, more >>

By: Jeff Gifford

Vieux Farka Touré

"Vieux Farka Touré"; World Village

3½ out of 4 stars

The death last year of Malian desert blues giant Ali Farka Touré was a huge loss to African music fans. It seems, however, that the master left the world in good hands: those of his own son. Vieux Farka Touré's debut album reveals a rich and wonderful talent that almost uncannily seems to match his father's virtuosity. Vieux plays the same grandiose, loping and wandering guitar lines and full tones as the old man, and he even sings like Ali. But the son takes his dad's style in his own direction. There are hints, some subtle and some obvious, of reggae and rock, revealing Vieux's generational influences. Despite this, the disc sticks close to tradition in its basic Saharan sound, and its instrumental accompaniment includes plenty of kora (West African harp), along with native flute and percussion. A highlight of the disc is the appearance of Ali Farka Touré on two songs, the only recordings of father and son playing together. Ali's friend, the kora master Toumani Diabate, also appears on a couple of tracks, making this disc not only the introduction to a new African star, but also a fresh offering from a couple of old ones. 03/02/07 >> go there
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