When the producers of the Woodstock Sessions, a hybrid/live recording series in Saugerties, NY, asked Malian guitarist and vocalist Vieux Farka Tour? to stop by in 2015, he didn’t have enough time to make it happen. Intrigued, he promised to return the following year. Making good on his word, the result of that incredible session is now Tour?’s newest album, Samba.The ten songs on Samba are all brand new. Given Tour?’s natural musical curiosity, the far-reaching blend of Malian blues and praise song, funk, reggae, and rock make this his most mature, well-rounded effort to date. The live element, where Tour? excels as a performer, shines through on every track, even though the band stopped whenever they wanted to change something up. This was not your average performance
