Talking Touré

On his landmark 1994 album, Talking Timbuktu, Malian guitarist Ali Farka Touré channels his African roots and in the process creates a sound very much akin to American blues.  The album, which teams Touré with American guitarist Ry Cooder, earned him his first of two Grammys (the second was awarded for In the Heart of the Moon, which he completed just before his death from bone cancer in March 2006).

Touré began playing music at age ten, mastering the njurkel (a one-string African guitar) and the njarka (a small  fiddle).  He took up the guitar in his teens and was exposed to the music of John Lee Hooker and James Brown.  The American blues sound impressed Touré—he recognized its African roots, which affirmed for him the value of his own musical traditions.

Talking Timbuktu opens with “Bonde,” which lays out an upbeat but mellow tone that percolates through the majority of the album.  Things get heavier on “Amandrai,” track five—blues fans will be captivated by its low and slow beat and Touré’s plaintive vocals.  “Ai Du,” track nine, is a sultry throb that was featured in the American film Unfaithful.  Taken together, the songs create a cohesive and intricate whole—ideal for recouping after a hard day’s work or getting into the mood on a Saturday night.

Buy Talking Timbuktu at Amazon.com