THE GINA FURTADO PROJECT
THE GINA FURTADO PROJECT
I HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD LIFE
Mountain Home MH18202
For those of you who grew up excited about buying a new album, then taking it home to position yourself comfortably between two speakers and focus intently on the first listen, this album is for you. If you love reading every word of liner notes and song comments, savoring every nuance of the lyrics in each song, this recording is for you. If you like Sierra Hull, Molly Tuttle, Judith Edelman, Pam Gadd, Buddy Mondlock, Nanci Griffith, or just good songwriters in general, you’re going to love banjo player and singer-songwriter Gina Furtado. Just make sure you schedule some uninterrupted time to carefully listen to her songs—probably more than once. A long road trip would be ideal.
Furtado said the goal for her second album for Mountain Home Music was to share her own artistic voice with deeply personal songs about living life, swallowing pride, and respecting others’ journeys. That voice is smart, introspective with a sense of humor, and cognizant of both literal and metaphorical details with a combination of whimsy and common sense.
Stylistically, Furtado belongs in the Alison Brown, Bela Fleck, Tony Trischka, Bill Evans, Kristin Scott Benson, school of banjo, selecting every note and dynamic with the intuitive care of a skilled painter with palate in hand. Her voice is unique, pleasant, and perfect for the nine original songs she presents, along with two additional cuts. Along with Gina, the band includes Malia Furtado, Drew Matulich, and Max Johnson. For this recording, they’re joined by Chris Luquette (guitar), Danny Knicely (mandolin), Nate Leath (fiddle), and Mark Fain (bass), plus vocals from Bryan McDowell, Teresa Furtado, and her former band leader, Chris Jones.
The artwork is compelling and as fun as the music. We could get into the subject matter of each song here, but that would take the fun out of your first listen, as well as a couple more magazine pages. If you’re a lyric nerd or a fan of creative banjo playing and love discovering new songwriters, don’t miss this one! (Mountain Home, P.O. Box 829, Arden, NC 28704, www.mountainhomemusiccompany.com.)NCW
