Singer and songwriter
Justin Furstenfeld is best known as the frontman for
Blue October, and before that
One Last Wish.
Songs from an Open Book is his debut solo offering. These selections are intimately recorded -- just voice and guitar -- live versions of songs previously played by both bands. While there is great value in hearing songs so well-known stripped to the bone, they're also actual, living entities.
Furstenfeld introduces certain songs with autobiographical stories that are as poignant and unwaveringly honest as they are humorous. This is the sound of a show on a tightrope; it's raw and emotionally open.
Furstenfeld, with his audience as support, gets inside his songs. The grain in his voice is one of discovery and hard-won wisdom. He's not merely revealing what they meant when he wrote them, but what they convey in the present tense. ~ Thom Jurek