Vieux
Farka Toure and Julia Easterlin – Touristes (Six Degrees Records)
CD
/ DL
Out
Now
8.5
/ 10
Malian singer/guitarist and American vocalist
collaborate.
The meeting of Vieux Farka Toure and Julie Easterlin
has to be one of those ‘meant to be’ moments.
The renowned guitarist from Mali and, the American singer/performance
artist based in Brooklyn have made an album which transcends two very different
cultures, and in many ways two opposing genres of music which meet somewhere in
a perfect middle.
Meeting in New York in 2014, the pair quickly
‘clicked’ and had created four songs in no more than two hours together. Six brand new tracks together with four
covers/re-interpretations make up an album well worth tracking down and listening
to.
Most notably here is the startling cover of Bon
Dylan’s Master Of War originally from his 1963 album The Freewheelin’ where the
lyrics are as relevant now as they were over fifty years ago and hold
particular relevance to Toure’s war-torn homeland. A quite stunning performance from Easterlin brings
the track into the modern age with a mournful backing.
Further covers come in the form of I’m Not Done
(originally from Swedish group The Knife) and In The Pines (an Appalachian folk
song once recorded as Where Did You Sleep Tonight by Nirvana). The former of the two begins with little more
than Julia’s vocals but is soon joined by Toure’s incredible guitar with
further horns and organ making a truly incredible sound. In The Pines, the murder ballad is skilfully performed
with lazily sung lines and hand percussion creating a haunting, eerie version.
A further murder ballad, Took My Brother Down
based around the Ferguson shooting of Michael Brown brings together a Saharan
sound and very real story. It’s
disturbing and thought provoking and nothing short of marvellous.
There is almost a pain in Spark where
lifelessness is assimilated in a track which is almost a joining of two
others. It’s a striking interlude and
one which creates a moment to reflect before Toure picks up lead vocals on
Bamba Na Wili a song with clear funk influences centred around the concept of
family. Julia’s voice makes intermittent
appearances in a layered sound that almost creates a further instrument in its
own right.
Touristes is a great album, an interesting
meeting of two very different styles from two very different backgrounds
merging to make something entirely enjoyable.
Taking the album title from the meeting of these two people, or maybe an
acronym of Toure and Easterlin, it’s one which will make you sit up and listen.
Links
Six Degrees Records
Vieux Farka Toure website
Vieux Farka Toure on Twitter
Vieux Farka Toure on Facebook
Vieux Farka Toure on hiapop Blog
Julia Easterlin website
Julia Easterlin on Twitter
Julia Easterlin on Facebook
Published on Louder Than War 15/11/15 - here
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