Son of the once-greatest-guitar-player-alive, Ali Farka Touré, Vieux Farka Touré continues to blaze his own trail apart from that of his father. On his self-titled 2007 debut, Vieux was a traditionalist, a few tracks threatening a tempo just notches above anywhere Ali ever went, but most sticking to the hypnotically repetitive blues his dad played to the grave. It was a fine record, but a little less so when held up to Ali's greater achievements (particularly The Source, my favorite in the laid-back bluesman's discography). No complaints from me, then, even if some traditionalists thought otherwise, when Vieux decided to modernize his sound with electric guitars, flamboyant solos and most surprisingly, big hooks: Fondo and Live (which consisted mostly of songs from the Fondo sessions) may have been viewed as too radical a departure for some, but Vieux's proven himself to be once, twice, a million times the rocker Ali was, and the move toward what might be termed an iteration of "afro-pop" was a smart one. Looking to reel back some of those picky traditionalists, I'd reckon, and maybe get back to his roots as well, Vieux settles into a more balanced fusion of the old and the new on his latest, The Secret, teaming with a diverse crop of musicians including Dave Matthews and one-time Allman Brother Derek Trucks.

The most traditional thing here comes first: the skittering, chant-backed "Sokosondou," which also sports some of Vieux's finest vocals to date. (Having repeatedly been criticized by purists for not quite possessing the pipes of his pops, who was no nightingale himself, this is a pleasant surprise.) From there, it's off to the Cape Town races: "Aigna" weaves complex polyrhythms through more chanting vocals, as Vieux and the aforementioned ex-Allman trade wailing licks on their electric guitars. Less successful is "All the Same," the set's biggest gamble, and one which gives Dave Matthews—that Dave Matthews—a vocal showcase. While not a seamless marriage—you know critics had their "7 Seconds" comparisons at the ready the moment they saw this track list—it's a plenty pretty tune, and a good tempo-setter for the rest of Side A. In particular, "Lakkal (Watch Out)" represents the record's seething peak, a roiling rock workout featuring Soulive's Eric Krasno (who in part produced the album) and some Hammond organ. But for many fans of Vieux, and of his now-deceased father especially, the real gem of the set will be its title-track, nearly seven minutes of gently hypnotic loping guitar figures traveling through a bustling atmosphere of woodwinds and lightly tapped percussion. It's hard to tell where Vieux's playing ends and Ali's begins, and that might be the point—for an artist who's had some trouble transcending the fine work of his father, a track in which the two are virtually indistinguishable may be the greatest sign he's done it.

Review by:
Sam C. Mac