Jacob Furr is a songwriter from Fort Worth, TX. His new album, Trails & Traces, attempts to deal with some very personal and important things, with Furr describing the release as something to help him survive his wife’s battle with cancer.
In a recent email, Furr stated that he wants to share the album “in an effort to tell my story and open up a space for others to share theirs.” “I have found some healing in making Trails & Traces,“ said Furr, “and I want to share this beautiful space music creates with others… using music to open up space between strangers and allow them to connect with one another.”
It is an admirable intention, and one which seems embedded within all of the most rewarding and valuable art, be it music or literature or whatever else. When dealing with subject matter such as the death of a loved one, there is a real (and understandable) danger of things becoming overly dark and despondent. What Furr describes above, and what comes through on the album, is about trying to do more than that. It’s about making something meaningful, something cathartic/therapeutic for the artist, but also comforting/useful for the listeners. Trails & Traces is poignant but never morose, putting love over regret and allowing hope to be the dominant emotion. As Furr explains:
“I do not want cancer to be the end of Christina’s story. She left behind a tradition of joy, wonder, and love that has inspired so many of us here in Ft Worth. And to me, her husband, she left behind an ache that is only satisfied with song. These songs are part of her legacy that continues to inspire us and to connect each other with love.”
The album is ten tracks of folk/Americana goodness. Starting off with the country-tinged foot-tappers ‘Branches’ and ‘Lines’, it becomes more intimate by ‘Drift Away’ and ‘Blake’s Song’, and morphs into something more rocky by the midway point. ‘Falling Stars’ is the leading track, a song which starts off relatively slow and builds to a loud crescendo that encapsulates his intense emotions over the loss of his wife. “Now you’re a song on my dry lips,” Furr sings, “now your the beat that’s breaking my heart. You’ve become the air in my heavy lungs. Won’t you stay so we’ll never be apart?” You can watch the video below.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2IomySew2I]
Trails & Traces is due to be released on the 14th September.