For decades Tony Furtado has been presenting his very own flavour of Americana roots music.
A two-time winner of the National Bluegrass Banjo Championships, the Portland-based multi-instrumentalist has always been a great musician but he also has the ability to use this talent to create fantastic songs. His latest project, The Bell, is yet another enjoyable and highly accomplished piece to add to his expansive repertoire.
Furtado describes The Bell as his most personal record to date. Influenced by the death of his father and birth of his son, his intimate roots style really suits these topics. Across the record, Furtado uses banjo and cello-banjo more than ever before giving the music a distinctive warm if spiky feeling. With instrumentals dotted throughout, Furtado has…
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…created a record with a very natural sound but with a real heart to match. There is no moment on The Bell that really stands out. Yet this is more to do with the consistent quality of the music than any suggestion that it is lacking.
…includes Copper & Tin, an EP that was separately released in the States, as bonus CD. It includes six extra tracks, recorded with a significantly smaller band and a more folk-oriented sound. ‘Firecracker’ is a fiery slide instrumental with bass & drum support, ‘Machine’ a Leo-Kottke-meets-David-Lindley-type song – both are Furtado originals. The other four tracks are rearranged traditionals, among them ‘Peggy O’, a solo recording in tribute of Jerry Garcia, ‘Amazing Grace’ as a sophisticated solo improvisation Leo Kottke/John Fahey-style and a lively medley of three Irish reels with banjo, cello banjo, acoustic guitar, baritone uke and tablas, accordion, flute and percussion.
CD1
1. Broken Bell (4:09)
2. Tired Lion (4:07)
3. Dying Language (3:52)
4. Astoria (4:01)
5. Low Road (5:03)
6. Tall Grass (4:25)
7. Iowa (3:08)
8. Give Me Your Soul (4:12)
9. Ashes of a Man (3:22)
10. The Collier’s Daughter (4:07)
11. Jo Jo (2:54)
12. Lie Alone (4:02)
13. Star (4:19)
CD2
01. Firecracker 2:27
02. 8th Of January 2:10
03. Peggy O 5:07
04. Machine 2:39
05. Amazing Grace 3:05
06. The Blackhaired Lass / Rakish Paddy / THe Ladies Pantalettes 3:52