Customer Reviews

The Heartbeat Of Love

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Richie Furay, a founding member of 60's icon bands Buffalo Springfield and Poco, and once part of David Geffen's answer to CSN in the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band, has released his first non-religious work since the late 70's.

It was well worth the wait.

Furay, who is in the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame with the Springfield, became a Christian in the 70's and a pastor in the early 80's. Since then, he has focused primarily on his Calvary Chapel congregation in Broomfield, CO and has made 3 very well done Christian themed recordings ("Season of Change" is my favorite), collaborated on a book about Buffalo Springfield in the late 90's and just this past spring, released his autobiography, "Pickin' Up the Pieces", which chronicles his life both in music and as a religous leader. After spending most of the past 25 years singing primarily with his congregation and occassionally with former bandmates in Poco and a solo performance here and there, Furay has unleashed a dozen superb songs, most of them self-penned or in cooperation with his Calvary Chapel music worship partner, Scott Sellen.

But don't be misled or put off by his work with Sellen..."Heartbeat of Love" is a great CD, with tinges of country influence, superb harmonies, and themes that run from love to fun to friendship to the one woman in his heart (Furay does a beautiful updated version of "Kind Woman", a Springfield and Poco staple that was initially written for his wife, Nancy, nearly four decades ago). Furay gets help from his daughter Jessie and Sellen, who perform on just about every track, but also asked former bandmates Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Rusty Young to contribute. These artists, along with Kenny Loggins, Jeff Hanna (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) and Mark Volman (Turtles)give the CD a well-rounded feel, but it is Furay's tenor voice, which is arguably one of the best ever in rock, that makes the album work. Richie sings like he was 25 years old, and it is easy to remember why he was the lead vocalist in both the Springfield and Poco...

Richie Furay can simply sing.

From "Forever in Love" to "Dean's Barbecue" to "Calling Out your Name", to "You and Me" Furay does not disappoint. The tight and high three and four part harmonies are there, the guest artists make the songs even better, and Furay judiciously chose to include only 2 of his former songs, the aforementioned "Kind Woman" and "Let's Dance Tonight" which was on the last Poco album before Richie left the group in 1973. Both updates are improvements over the originals, in that Furay has made them fresh once again, and used different background and supporting vocals and guitars to enhance both songs.

Richie Furay has been out of the mainstream country rock movement for ages, but "Heartbeat of Love" proves, as said, that his time away was well spent, and he has given us an upbeat record that is a sweet experience to listen to.

I hope we hear from him again soon---and I gave the CD a 5-star rating for its content, musicianship and overall high quality, including Furay's sensational voice and his oversight on production, as well as a beautiful hardbound CD cover, which has detailed information on each song, and how the album came to be.

You'll love this CD as much as I did...give it a listen!

I'm a long time fan of Richie's. I designed album covers for Columbia-Epic Records in the late 60's and have followed Richie all throughout the POCO years. As head of the Elektra /Asylum Art Department I had a chance to work with Richie and designed his solo album cover for , "I Still Have Dreams". On "Heartbeat of Love" Richies voice sounds like mellowed honey. He sure has improved with age. This is truely a great album. "The perfect Richie". If you loved, THE BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD, POCO or any of Richies former solo albums, you're in for the "Richie Furay Masterpiece". All the past blended into today, Wow! My hats off for the excellent art direction. The package is a knock out. Five stars plus for the Music and Art.

I am a fan of Buffalo Springfield & Poco, but never heard any of Richie's solo albums till now. Pure country-rock with guest appearances from his former bandmates make this album one of the best of the year...any year. Richie sounds great and the songs are top-notch. Anything on this CD could blow away any song on the country charts right now. Even the cd booklet is

steller...great looking with lots of info & lyrics. Well worth the Amazon price!

I have been waiting over 20 years for another Ritchie Furay album, and it's been worth the wait. I agree with all the other reviewers - this is Furay's best work to date. Put it this way, I just got a new iPod and put every CD I own on it. This is the one 've been playing about 90% of the time. Furay's voice, use of harmonies and his music are stellar! I do have his religious albums too, which are excellent, but having a "mainstream" album out will give a new generation of music lovers access to his tunes! Now, let's hope he goes on tour!

I don't even remember the last time I loved an album so much that I had to keep listening to it over and over. Well, that is definitely the case with this wonderful effort from Richie Furay, family, and friends. Kind Woman and Let's Dance Tonight have now received their definitive treatment. Any other versions will need to be compared to the recordings on this CD. Hearing Jesse Furay Lynch harmonize with her father is a special treat that only enhances my enjoyment. There is not a bad song out of the twelve recorded here, and the title song, along with You And Me will probably be stolen and covered by other artists, as could many of the songs. Every time I listen I hear something else that delights me. You will hear Timothy B. Schmit's lovely harmonies on My Heart is Crying, Stephen Stills on Calling Out Your Name, and a number of other singers and musicians who add to the joy of this project. Did I mention I love it? Anyone who loves the music of Buffalo Springfield, Poco, and Richie should give it a listen. An easy no-brainer to give it five stars.

Being a huge Buffalo Springfield fan, but a lukewarm richey furay fan,boy was i surprised! this is absolutely the best thing he has ever done. the remake of kind woman in superb!. if you like country rock with update sense, this is a can't miss cd. great hooks, great guest musicians, this cd has it all.

As the title states, most songs revolve around the subject of "love", but musically it is great listening and Richie sounds as good as ever. You would think this was from early Poco. It is a shame music like this does not receive more airplay.

This CD is Great. The song writing and vocals are all Vintage Furay. I am very pleased with this purchase. Great effort by Richie.

I have been waiting over 20 years for another Ritchie Furay album, and it's been worth the wait. I agree with all the other reviewers - this is Furay's best work to date. Put it this way, I just got a new iPod and put every CD I own on it. This is the one 've been playing about 90% of the time. Furay's voice, use of harmonies and his music are stellar! I do have his religious albums too, which are excellent, but having a "mainstream" album out will give a new generation of music lovers access to his tunes! Now, let's hope he goes on tour!

This is a must for everyone who loved Buffalo Springfield & Poco. Richie Furay is back on the non-christian music scene and he shows his abilities to sing, to write good songs and to bring people together. An extra star for the beautiful package - undoubtedly a cd for collectors!