Ali

Description

Ali Farka Touré traveled the world, introducing Malian music to everyone. He is nicknamed "the African John Lee Hooker," and indeed, there are strong links between the two. Both used a bluesy playing style with gritty textures that evokes both calm and fury. Touré created a West African blend of "desert blues," which earned him a Grammy Award and international acclaim. Although he passed away in 2006, Ali's musical legacy lives on through his son, Vieux Farka Touré, aka "the Hendrix of the Sahara," an accomplished guitarist and a true star of Malian music. On Ali, his collaborative album with Khruangbin, Vieux pays tribute to his father by recreating some of his most iconic works, adding new twists that do not detract from the integrity of the originals. The result is a true ode to a legend. Ali is not just a compilation of the artist's greatest hits. It is a lullaby, a remembrance of Ali's life through highlights and B-sides from his discography. It is a testament to what happens when creativity is approached with open arms and an open heart. The album began in 2019, when Khruangbin had just released the revolutionary Con Todo el Mundo, and was completed in 2021 during the global pandemic. Indirectly, Ali captures this period and makes it a moment of peace in a raging storm, a conversation between past and present, yet not pledging allegiance to suffering. Ali is a masterful work in which the love surrounding it is as important as the music itself. Vieux Farka Touré and Khruangbin spread the good word to a whole new generation.