Tony Furtado is one heck of a banjo picker. After winning the National Bluegrass Banjo Championship in Winfield, Kan., for the second time in 1991, he was awarded a deal with Rounder Records that resulted in seven great albums from 1992-1999.

In the first decade of this century, Furtado released seven more superb albums, which ran the gamut stylistically from bluegrass to blues, country to rock ‘n’ roll. No banjo player mixes folk, bluegrass, indie-rock, blues and jazz quite like Tony Furtado.

As the second decade of the 21st century begins, Furtado has done something he's never done before: he produced his own album. "Golden" was recorded and produced in his adopted hometown of Portland, Ore., and features some great players from the area, including Tye North (formerly of Leftover Salmon) on bass, Scott Law (Darol Anger's Republic of Strings) on mandolin, and many others.
The album is a tour de force of Furtado's strengths and diversity, with song after song stimulating the ear in the most delightful ways. "Toe The Line" opens the album with a driving groove that sets the tone and launches the album with style. The title cut, "Golden (Broken)," is a lovely little ditty that lulls you into a happy place and then reinforces itself to keep you there, while "Portlandia" draws upon Celtic styles and delivers. "Devil's Dust" is a Tom Petty-ish rocker that really rocks, and the album closes with the beautiful "Bones," with Furtado showing his mastery of the acoustic slide guitar and baritone ukelele.

Tony Furtado, on this, his 15th album, has most certainly shown that he is, in the world of roots music, "Golden."