ALBUM REVIEW: On ‘In the Country,’ Richie Furay Finds Emotional Core of Country Favorites
Henry Carrigan
Posted On July 7, 2022
Richie Furay — founding member of Buffalo Springfield, Poco, and Souther-Hillman-Furay — has been singing country music all his life, of course, so his new album of classic country tunes is a natural fit. Furay’s soaring tenor vocals are on full display on In the Country, and, for the most part, he imbues these songs with an emotional depth that reverberates long after the song has ended.
Furay’s version of Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance” gains its power from his spare opening that spirals heavenward on the choruses as Wendy Moten’s vocals wend their way around Furay’s. The album opens with a pulsating version of Keith Urban’s “Somebody Like You,” a rousing country rocker that would have been right at home on a Souther-Hillman-Furay album. Eamon Mcoughlin’s propulsive fiddling paves the way on the straight-ahead country stomper “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful,” and the song blossoms with the swelling harmony vocals of Furay’s daughter Jesse Furay Lynch and former Poco bassist Timothy B. Schmit.
The highlight of In the Country, Furay’s first studio album in seven years, may be his heartrending version of John Berry’s “Your Love Amazes Me.” Furay, whose vocals resemble Berry’s, reproduces the intimate warmth and soulful depth of the original. Berry joins Furay, singing the second verse here, on harmony. Furay was meant to sing this song, so it’s a gift that he’s given us here.
There are some missteps: Furay’s version of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” may be schmaltzier than the original, if that’s possible, and Furay’s too-thin vocals lack the gravelly strength to render effectively Marc Cohn’s “Walking in Memphis.”
No matter, though, for his versions of the other songs on the album more than make up for it. Two bonus tracks are included on the digital version: Furay’s own “Pickin’ Up the Pieces” and a gorgeous duet with daughter Jesse on George Strait’s “I Cross My Heart.”
In the Country is Furay at his best. He takes no big risks here, but he delivers some straight-ahead, emotionally resonant versions of familiar country songs — and that’s a good feelin’ to know.
In the Country is out July 8 via Renew Records/BMG.
