In My Father’s House

Description

In My Father’s House is a solo album by the American singer and songwriter Richie Furay of Buffalo Springfield and Poco fame, released on Calvary Chapel Music in 1997. The album was produced by John Macy, Randy Rigby, and Richie Furay.

Richie Furay was a founder member of Buffalo Springfield. Poco and Souther. Hillman. Furay Band. Richie Furay has been inducted to the Rock’n Roll Hall Of Fame. Richie hasn’t recorded a solo album for 15 years and many of the bands that he recorded with mean nothing to the everyday CD buying British public. Richie has produced this new album for Calvary Chapel Music. He is pastor to one of their fellowships these days, based in Colorado. Consequently, most of the album is made up of worship songs that wouldn’t be out of place in your fellowship on a Sunday morning. The musicianship on these recordings is excellent. Furay has chosen lo give the whole set a country-rock flavour – the genre in which he made his name. He has brought in his old Poco bandmate Rusty Young on steel guitar and dobro and Rusty’s contribution deserves a special mention. Lyrically, the songs are better than most contemporary worship songs that come to my attention, This album deserves a much wider exposure than it will get on the small church-based label that Richie has chosen for its release. [Darren Hirst, Cross Rhythms, February 1998]

Young listeners may be forgiven for asking who vocalist and guitarist Richie Furay is. A recently inducted member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame thanks to his work with the pioneering 1960s country-rock group Buffalo Springfield (where he worked with Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Jim Messina), he later founded Poco, came to faith in Christ, recorded three groundbreaking Christian albums for Asylum in the late 1970s, and made his last record, ‘Seasons of Change‘, in 1982 for Myrrh.

Thankfully, Furay is making music again, performing select club dates and releasing ‘In My Fathers’ House’, a collection of 10 praise & worship songs he wrote with Scott Selen, worship leader at Calvary Chapel of Boulder, Colo. where Furay serves as pastor.

The album illustrates the tasteful and easy-going blend of rock, country and bluegrass styles that has made Furay a pop music patriarch. And if his unique tenor voice doesn’t have the same youthful vitality it did 30 years ago, it still has the same yearning vulnerability.

The album’s title song is a calm but moving ballad about unshakable faith. «Hallel» and «Give Thanks to the Lord» are roots rock worship numbers. «We Have Come to Worship You» and «I Will Bless the Name of the Lord» are evocative praise songs which invite the listener to sing along, and which will likely be sung soon in churches around the country. «Send Me Lord» is Selen’s simple but profound prayer song.

But the standout track is «Wake Up My Soul», a meditation for musicians (“Wake up my hands and the instrument I play”) done in catchy bluegrass style and featuring the fiddle finesse of Sam Bush and the guitar and dobro work of Poco alumnus Rusty Young.

Furay couldn’t have chosen a better way to break his 15-year recording silence. [Steve Rabey, CCM, September 1997]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/in-my-fathers-house-the-deluxe-edition-original/1159193568)

CD tracklist:

01. Hallel – 4:02
02. In My Father’s House – 5:05
03. Peace That Passes All Understanding – 4:10
04. Wake Up My Soul – 2:59
05. We Have Come To Worship You – 4:07
06. The Love I Now Possess – 3:59
07. Give Thanks To The Lord – 4:21
08. I Will Bless The Name Of The Lord – 3:23
09. Man Of Many Sorrows – 4:18
10. Send Me Lord – 4:04