ALBUM REVIEW: Vieux Farka Touré and Khruangbin Team Up for Tribute to Malian Legend Ali Farka Touré

Ali Farka Touré is one of the greatest guitarists of all time. The Malian singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist is credited with helping create what’s now (somewhat controversially) referred to as the “desert blues” sound — a guitar-based style that is at once propulsive and meandering, local and global, and ultimately timeless.

Vieux Farka Touré and Khruangbin (photo credits: Vieux Farka Touré by Kiss Diawara; Mark Speer by Rob Williamson; Laura Lee by Donovan Smallwood; DJ Johnson by Riot Muse)

Born in 1939 in the Timbuktu region of Mali, Touré actually wasn’t supposed to play music growing up, due to his family’s caste. But he secretly built his own guitar-like instrument and began teaching himself to play in the late 1950s. By the 1960s, he was touring internationally, singing in seven languages (primarily Fulfulde, Tamasheq, Songhai, and Bambara, which are all native to Mali), and in 1976, his self-titled debut was finally released. Over the course of his three-decade career, before he passed away in 2006, Touré recorded more than 10 albums, collaborated with African and Western stars including Toumani Diabaté (read more about that in ND’s Summer 2020 “Tools of the Trade” issue), Taj Mahal, and Ry Cooder, and won three Grammy awards for his innovative songs and performances.

Touré’s son, Vieux Farka Touré, was also discouraged from following the path of a musician. But he too began to play guitar in secret, and has since released seven solo albums (in addition to a number of remixed and collaborative records), carrying on his father’s influence and earning his own fans and accolades.

However, the younger Touré didn’t begin to think about a tribute record until 2019. That’s around the time when the Houston-based trio Khruangbin’s popularity was rocketing. Over the course of their three studio albums (also excluding EPs and remix records), the band has explored psychedelic sounds from the Middle East, Mexico, Southeast Asia, and even Saharan Africa and the elder Touré.

Two years through the pandemic and other logistical complications, Vieux and Khruangbin finally completed recording the eight-track tribute, simply named Ali, in 2021. Together, the supergroup of collaborators makes music like water — fluid, flowing, uncontained by whims or weather, dams or damned genres.

Their styles blend seamlessly across Ali, partially due to Khruangbin’s vast range of influences and malleability as a band. But the awe they all hold for the original source material is obvious, especially in the record’s looseness. According to a press release announcing the album, Vieux encouraged the trio to be present in the moment while recording. His father was a legendary improvisor, so Vieux tried to emphasize playing by instinct, but also honoring self-care, as he’d bring home-style fish and rice to sessions as well.

Ali is not simply a greatest-hits record; rather, it covers the scope of his entire career. Ali’s 11 children all contributed to the song selection, and the record starts with the title track of his final studio record. “Savanne” begins with Vieux playing solo, with synths lurking somewhat quietly for almost a full minute before Laura Lee Ochoa’s bass begins to thump nearly as loudly as Vieux’s guitar when he unfurls another ribbon of runs. Other songs, like “Tamalla” and “Lobbo,” come from Ali’s 1990 album The River, one of his earliest records to achieve crossover success in the US. “Diarabi,” from Ali’s 1994 Grammy award-winning album Talking Timbuktu with Ry Cooder, sounds most like Khruangbin’s own records. But “Mahine Me,” from Ali’s Billboard­–topping 1992 album The Source, branches into the most exploratory territory — incorporating multiple guitars, Zydeco-inspired washboard, and Cajun-style accordion.

Lyrically, these songs also present a moving tribute to the Tourés’ homeland. They sing in French, Peule, Bambara, and Songhai, and of local proverbs (“Mahine Me”), virtuous tribal ancestors (“Lobbo”), cultural praise songs (“Tamalla”), and more. But even without all of the translations and context included in the release, Ali represents a stunning tribute to the late guitarist. It’s a fitting homage, looking forward and back with funk, spunk, and reverence.

Vieux Farka Touré and Khruangbin’s Ali is out Sept. 23 via Dead Oceans/Night Time Stories Ltd.