Vieux Farka Toure

Vieux Farka Toure steps into the void left by his father's death with an album that clings to the best of the desert blues tradition -- the spare guitars, the rhythms left on perpetual simmer -- without merely aping his father's style. Ali himself appears on "Tabara" and "Diallo," but surprisingly the most affecting, emotional performances are Vieux's collaborations with Toumani Diabate, whose celestial kora playing finds its earthly counterpart in Vieux's languid, dusty guitar. More than a promising debut, this album was born fully formed.