Vieux Farka Touré

★★★★ Les Racines WORLD CIRCUIT. CD/DL/LP

Proving the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree if given enough time.

So comprehensively does Ali Farka Touré define the Malian interpretation of the blues it was no surprise his son sought to avoid comparisons. Though Ali Farka Touré collaborated on Vieux’s eponymous debut, released in 2007, the year after the elder man died, it has been impressive watching Vieux put musical distance between them in the projects he has undertaken since (it was immediately followed by a collection of remixes). But now, having shown what he can do, the prodigal son returns to claim his heritage. Vieux lets his band do a lot of the work: the ceaseless, rolling guitar lines complemented by jagged ngoni riffs, gourd-playing percussionists holding the bottom line steady. The title translates as “the roots”, a nod to his dad’s classic The Source and, like that album, this is pure, unpolished ur-boogie, a foundation course in rock’n’roll.