Vieux Farka Touré: Les Racines review – exquisite return to the Malian source

Heritage, a word that’s everywhere these days, comes no weightier than that borne by Vieux Farka Touré, son of Mali’s great guitar master, the late Ali Farka Touré. Even for a teenage Vieux to pick up a guitar required the patriarch’s reluctant consent. Over the past 15 years, Vieux has honoured his eminent father while exploring other connections: reggae, remixes, a stint with Israeli rocker Idan Raichel and, on 2013’s Mon Pays, an embrace of Mali’s wider culture during its conflict-ridden years.

The country’s civil wars are a primary subject on Les Racines, which often calls for peace and unity. “This music is not for the young guys,” says Vieux, “it’s for those who bear responsibility.” As suggested by its title – “The Roots” – the album is also a return to source, to the spare, haunting style of his father on tracks such as the exquisite instrumental L’Âme, which is supplemented by a dreamy flute.

Elsewhere, on Ngala Kaourene and Ndjehene Direne, both insistent demands for peace, there are more urgent grooves, with call-and-response vocals. A cast of dazzling musicians lends support throughout a record that urgently puts Mali, a musical powerhouse, in the global spotlight. Outstanding.