Album Review: Declaration of Independence – Colt Ford
12 years ago Liv Carter Comments Off on Album Review: Declaration of Independence – Colt Ford
Declaration of Independence – Colt Ford (Average Joes Entertainment, 2012)
A few years ago, Colt Ford hit upon something no one seemed to have thought of yet. Upon realizing that many young country fans mixed up line dancing to the latest country hits with grooving to Top 40 rap and R&B, he created his hip-hop/country blend. While he, mainly through sheer tenacity, built up a loyal fanbase, to say his music wasn’t widely well-received is a bit of an understatement.
On new album Declaration of Independence, Ford once again combines the vocal talents of his friends with his own spoken delivery. Your tolerance of the latter will largely, if not solely, determine your enjoyment of this record. While it is an album which requires a bit of effort to get into (and the unequivocal surrender of any and all musical prejudices you may hold), it is worth putting in the time. In many places the songwriting is outstanding and the choruses are especially strong. Those are helped further by Ford and his production team matching up the right vocalist(s) for most of the tracks. Jason Aldean sounds fantastic on ‘Drivin’ Around Song,’ as does Jake Owen on current single, ‘Back,’ both perfect examples of formidable choruses.
The core of the album are the “countrier” songs where the only concern is just having fun. The Kix Brooks collaboration, ‘All In,’ is wonderfully enjoyable and another songwriting standout. A special mention also goes to the Craig Wiseman co-write featuring Jonathan Singleton, ‘Lucky.’ Someone please tell me this is going to radio.
Honest and vulnerable closing track, ‘Angels & Demuns,’ is remarkable and houses very strong lines which I won’t spoil by quoting them out of context here. Biggest surprise is ‘Room at the Bar,’ a mellow R&B tune featuring Corey Smith.
Where things falter on this record is when songs start leaning too heavily on the same overused ideas we’ve all already heard a trillion times, and where it simply tries too hard. It is disappointing to see talented writers fall back on unimaginative phrases as is the case on the Ford/Jeffrey Steele co-write, ‘It’s All.’ It is a list song which consists, seemingly without a hint of sarcasm, of multiple lines saying ‘It’s all [add country cliché]’ and a chorus which adds nothing further.
The fiercest criticism Ford faces is that his music isn’t “country” enough. As much as I respect what he has built up, I can’t really fault the people saying this. But I believe there is a useful distinction to be made here that many people are missing. Is he country? Yes, absolutely. Does he make country music? Not always. If ‘Dancin’ While Intoxicated’ is a country song, then so is Maroon 5‘s ‘Payphone.’ Couldn’t this all be avoided by calling it a multi-genre project rather than insisting everyone accepts this to be country music?
Declaration of Independence may not win over many of those critics, but it is the most interesting disc Colt Ford has released to date, and despite its problems, contains a few outstanding tracks very much worthy of wider attention.
Liv Carter
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.
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