Album Review: Ride Through the Country Revisited – Colt Ford
11 years ago Liv Carter Comments Off on Album Review: Ride Through the Country Revisited – Colt Ford
Ride Through the Country Revisited – Colt Ford (Average Joes, 2013)
I have a clear memory of the first time I heard Colt Ford‘s debut album, Ride Through the Country, five years ago. After skimming through about a minute of each of the first few songs, all I could think was “What the hell is this?!” I didn’t get it. While 2010 follow-up Chicken & Biscuits elicited much the same response, by the time fourth album Declaration of Independence came around, I was on board. Now I did get it. The music hadn’t changed, but my perception of it had after listening to, and learning from, people who have a better grasp of the music business than I might ever have. Southern rap, hick-hop, whatever you want to call it, will never be my thing, but I now understand what Ford and his cohorts are trying to do.
The risk with reaching back to an old album is that you expose its weaknesses compared to the better material you have since released. One way around this is a thorough re-imagining, and this is the path Ford and producers Shannon Houchins and Noah Gordon have taken. With new vocals, different guests, and in some cases a complete rebuilding of the tracks, Ride Through the Country Revisited feels like the album Ford would have made if he knew then what he knows now.
A big part is actually more about who he knows now. The 2008 release had a few guests, including John Michael Montgomery and a young Brantley Gilbert (on ‘Dirt Road Anthem’). On the re-issue, star power abounds. The title track now has Ronnie Dunn and Joe Diffie joining Montgomery. Dunn also audibly has fun on ‘Mr Goodtime,’ and Diffie joins here also on ‘No Trash in My Trailer.’ Reflective ballad ‘Never Thought’ is brought to a new level by the formidable voice of Wynonna.
Some songs got a light make-over, others got a whole new outfit. For a good example of what has changed, compare and contrast ‘Waffle House,’ now featuring John Anderson. No more gun effects that got annoying after 30 seconds, but instead a pretty fiddle line and a much better vocal delivery after years of honing that skill on the road.
Having had five years to develop how he wants to sound, this new collection has a confidence that a debut album could hardly achieve. Gone is the clumsy spoken intro, and things now kick off with crisp guitars and lots of fiddle. While the original album faced the criticism that only the song topics were related to country music tradition, this time the arrangements are filled with fiddle, steel, sweeping electric guitar, much more muted beats, and a smarter use of Auto-Tune. What couldn’t be fixed though is the lyrics. With a few exceptions, these songs could have used refining and, as such, the quality of the writing might be the biggest contrast with Ford’s current material. I know it was hardly the point of this release, but it’s made me realize just how strong Declaration of Independence really is.
If Colt Ford’s music is still not your cup of tea, that’s fine. It’s not mine either. But there really is no longer a point complaining about how this type of album does not represent a legitimate off-shoot of country music. It does, and I am sure Colt Ford will happily spend a few more album cycles proving just that.
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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