We covered the acoustic trio The Furious Seasons’ 2018 release Now Residing Abroad on these pages and with this, La Fonda, the band is releasing their seventh album and third as an acoustic trio. Bandleader/ guitarist/songwriter and vocalist David Steinhart sees this as a focused effort, a new song cycle dealing with losing a best friend to alcoholism. Along with Steinhart are his brother bassist David and guitarist/vocalist Paul Nelson. Guests provide violin, drums, accordion, and percussion. Five-time Grammy-winning producer and engineer Alfonso Rodenas helmed the sessions which were mostly recorded live with the three in a semicircle in front of microphones. David claims that all his singing and playing is live with Jeff and Nelson adding some overdubs afterwards, as obviously for the guest parts as well.
”As a Matter of Fact,” a minor-key groove in 4/4 starts the proceedings as they sing of someone who is letting the L.A. nights take its toll. “Figure It Out” with its eerie chorus “how to let you go” is a superb folk tune with classy guitar flourishes from Nelson. The strings and vocal harmonies imbue “Burn Clean,” about his friend’s time in the Arizona desert, again with an indelible chorus – “Let the Arizona sky take your breath away.” “I Was an Actor” is one of the few up-tempo tunes, featuring keening dobro and electric guitar picking from Nelson. By the time we get to the fifth track, “Slide Into Sadness” it’s clear that this album stays more in a folk and folk-rock mode, lacking the wide-ranging experimentation of the last one. On this tune, David is feeling the guilt and imagined responsibility, or lack thereof, for his friend’s demise.
The highlights of the second half, following the dramatic “Pitch Dark” are two songs about the friend’s funeral. “Vast Divide” is a brisk shuffle with brushes on the drums and Nelson and David in tight harmony. “Your Irish Funeral,” a clear standout, has Rodenas playing various percussion instruments, including some from Ireland. The song talks about his funeral in Indiana where only about 10% of the people knew him. He contrasts that with the memorial service in L.A. where “all his friends were so angry that it became like a horrible therapy session.” This is David’s way of a proper goodbye, envisioning all his friends happy and playing songs the friend loved.
As mentioned the music, often subtle, is beautifully rendered throughout behind David’s expressive, emotive vocals. It’s not only Nelson’s deft touches on the string instruments but Jeff’s bass work and injection of organ and piano in just the right spots. The songs are well-crafted, stemming from a very personal well. His friend’s ex-wife is he his spouse’s best friend and his daughter is their goddaughter. When such a personal focus is brought to other musicians, it can be tough but tightly knitted nature of this trio, finds them embracing the songs with appropriate care and harmony, to extent that it never sounds as sad as one might think. Instead, there’s a brightness peeking through the melancholy.
