Bare Bones by Tony Furtado

The songs here are not only performed (and most of them written) by Tony, but also recorded on the spot and engineered by the guitarist/singer/songwriter as well. And talk about baptism by fire: Furtado learned how to use the recording gear at these very shows. Dusty Wakeman, an accomplished musician and studio guru in his own right (Lucinda Williams, Dwight Yoakam, Anne McCue), did the mixing and editing at his Mad Dog Studios in LA. Dusty has worked with Tony before, producing his records and playing in his road band, and here again he captures the flavor and flow of Tony's live show, letting the performances shine through and stand on their own without adding unnecessary studio gimmickry or polish. What Tony played and what the fans witnessed is what you get, and the passion and camaraderie come through loud and clear. The songs themselves are a great representation of crowd-pleasing fan favorites. From Furtado originals ("These Chains," "Can You Hear the Rain") to traditional songs with new arrangements by Tony ("Rove Riley Rove," "Oh Berta Berta") to collaborations like the Furtado/Jules Shear-penned "Standing in the Rain" and finally, to perfectly suited covers (Tom Petty's "Running Down a Dream," the Beatles' "I Will"), this album is a personal nod to the wishes of his fans, a way to re-live the live show experience which brought them together to begin with. Furtado started playing the banjo at about 12 years of age; by the time he was 19, he had established himself as a gifted musician. As he solidified his chops and sound by playing constantly, he was also raking in top awards for his banjo playing. But Tony started to feel constrained by his instrument as his musical sensibilities broadened. He wanted to write songs that had lyrics and also wanted to try his hand at singing them, so he applied his considerable prowess to mastering the guitar and writing and singing his own material. His last studio effort, 2004's THESE CHAINS, was the product of an established artist's conscious expansion of his boundaries, and truly a joy to behold. BARE BONES is a reflection of Tony's boundless enthusiasm playing music for folks and traveling far and wide to do it. His tours have included stints with the likes of Gregg Allman, Taj Mahal, Eric Johnson and String Cheese Incident, among many others. Whether or not you've seen him perform live, you'll want to catch a performance as soon as you can. In the meantime, check out this recording and you'll get the next best thing to a Tony Furtado show.

Average Customer Review: 5