Out here on the coast we have rogue waves. Â They’re not part of the regular set, they’re unpredictable, and are big enough to bash you down into the sand, where you think “where the hell did that come from?” Â That’s what happened to me when I listened to the latest from The Furious Seasons, Now Residing Abroad. Â There’s no way you can call this anything but folk music. Â And yet, when you listen, there’s something totally unpredicted.
Some of it is the message in the lyrics that come warmly swaddled in the acoustic guitar and bass.  Understood is, let’s face it, a murder ballad. But in the lonely delivery of the story you come to realize there’s no regret–it had to be done.  The Lonely Canadians is a brilliant commentary on some feelings after the last election, hence the title of the disc.  I don’t know if Fort Knox was about someone in particular or an amalgam, but if it was an individual I hope their family and friends heard the eulogy, and pain and joy it conveyed.
Some of it is also the instrumental prowess on the album. Â Brothers David and Jeff Steinhart on guitar and bass provide a rich, complex foundation that’s so much more than you expect from folk music. Â On top of that, guitarist Paul Nelson strums and picks and coaxes sounds that are mini stories of their own. Â On Fort Knox, he evokes the feeling of an old Delta blues song with a bare minimum of phrases. Â So Sorry Adele brings back a favorite sound of my youth when Nelson lets loose with a solo that Duane Allman would have been proud to do.
 Now Residing Abroad is a destination record.  You don’t slap it on as an accompaniment to your day.  Instead, pull out your noise-cancelling headphones, set aside your distractions, and immerse yourself in the sound.  That’s when the journey becomes part of the reward.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.