Tony Furtado, with Sky Blue 72 and Fahl and Folk

On his latest CD, banjo-plucking jam-grasser Tony Furtado highlights a newfound joy in songwriting, and his own singing voice is another welcome addition. Produced by Dusty Wakeman (Lucinda Williams, Dwight Yoakam), These Chains comprises nine original nuggets plus a dusting of old-timey traditionals. In collaboration with Nashville auteur Jim Lauderdale, longtime NRBQ guitarist Al Anderson and tunesmith Jules Shear, Furtado continues to demonstrate the tasteful instincts that shone through on past efforts such as 1997's Roll My Blues Away. Turn your attention to "More and More," "The Good Stuff," "The Prisoner" and "Standing in the Rain," and make way for a talented practitioner of the Americana-meets-pop-rock genre.