CD Review of I Sincerely apologize for All the Trouble I’ve Caused by David Ford

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Buy your copy from Amazon.com David Ford:
I Sincerely apologize for All the Trouble I’ve Caused
starstarstarstarhalf star Label: Red Int / Red Ink
Released: 2006
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For you guys out there who think that John Mayer and James Blunt are sappy schmucks that your girlfriends and wives have among their CD’s between Dido and Celine Dion, there is a singer/songwriter that even you can like. His name is David Ford. Like Blunt, he hails from the UK, where singer/songwriters feel like it’s their birthright to be a little angry and profess their political beliefs in their music. But the difference is that Ford doesn’t give a fuck what you or anyone else thinks. Formerly of the band Easyworld, Ford set off to make some demos without a label, producer, or anyone else telling him what to do, and later got picked up by Columbia Records. Having that kind of artistic freedom while recording is a liberating thing for any artist, but it’s also what makes Ford’s resulting album, I Sincerely apologize for All the Trouble I’ve Caused, such a diamond among all the sugar coated lumps of coal out there.

“I Don’t Care What You Call Me” is the kind of anthem with the cosmic magnetism of a Dylan song, ala “Knocking on Heaven’s Door.” Even at six-plus minutes, you won’t want the song to end. “State of the Union” makes an obvious political statement, but yet is unpretentious and powerful: “Clever men know all that and all this / And they will talk, and they talk, and they don’t fucking listen / It’s a shame, it’s a shame, it’s a shame.”

“What Would You Have Me Do” is a dark and brooding piano ballad, the kind where you could picture some sorry-ass dude walking home in the rain after getting dumped. Then there is “Cheer Up (You Miserable Fuck).” Come on, a song with that kind of title has to earn Ford bonus points. And who among us hasn’t wanted to say that to a friend? “Don’t Tell Me” is like a modern day Neil Young song, and “Katie” is another display of simple, yet effective lyrics that every guy can understand: “Katie, will you say to me / Will you just tell me please what the fuck is going on?” “If You Only” is another powerful track, cementing I Sincerely apologize as one of the year’s most promising albums so far.

Aside from the fact that it’s bordering on criminal to have an album title more than three words long, we can let that slide here because David Ford has delivered a record of some great songs. If you can visualize a cross between Dylan, Young, Adam Duritz, and Angie Aparo, with none of the typical singer/songwriter fluff, that is basically David Ford. Great songs, sincere messages, cool voice – and if your girl can get past the swearing, she might even like it too.

~Mike Farley