Vieux Farka Touré

The Secret (Six Degrees)

Ali Farka Touré scion Vieux Farka Touré cakes his father’s mesmerizing guitar drone in a wasp’s nest of electric buzz. VFT’s third release for S.F. eclectics Six Degrees, The Secret whispers the title track’s final studio outing of the elder Malian, but it’s South African Dave Matthews stealing the show with his wickedly heartfelt vocal on haunting spiritual “All the Same.” Derek Trucks, jazz axe John Scofield, and producer/Soulive guitarist Eric Krasno all go toe-to-toe with the phosphorescent Vieux.

***.5

This article appears in July 8 • 2011.

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San Francisco native Raoul Hernandez crossed the border into Texas on July 2, 1992, and began writing about music for the Chronicle that fall, debuting with an album review of Keith Richards’ Main Offender. By virtue of local show previews – first “Recommendeds,” now calendar picks – his writing’s appeared in almost every issue since 1993.