Ali Toure "Farka" - Ali Toure Farka (1977) [LP]

Few folks have made an acoustic guitar and a voice sound as compelling together as Ali Farka Toure – and that's saying a lot, given the huge legacy of folk and blues that preceded his 70s recordings! Toure's clearly aware of that long line of recordings, but finds a way to make music that's completely unique and very much his own – maybe echoing a bit of an American acoustic tradition, but only very slightly – as his Malian inflections are very individual, and maybe even more powerful when thought of in more isolated terms. Two tracks feature a bowed instrument, which adds an eerie level of color – and titles include "Yer Sabou Yerkoy", "Assidou Dondoma", "Remobe", "Yermadine Tiere Kamba", and "Yer Mali Woyo".