DAVID FORD: Let The Hard Times Roll - a review

Here’s an album that takes you back to what you were made to believe songwriters could achieve with David Gray’s debut album in 1993. Sadly Gray Judased the potency of his art for the tempting rewards of chart hits and that led us to having to settle for a clatter of blanded out followers. Well, you can shove Blunt, Morrison and Nutini under the bed because the real deal is back and he’s changed his surname from Gray to Ford. The lead off track Panic, proud owner of nine verses states the case with the wordy poetry of mid sixties Dylan, the social observation and critique of the aforementioned Gray’s Century’s End and even a riff that hints at The Jam’s Start or The Beatles’ Taxman depending on your age. It’s a doom-laden apocalypse where the recurring phrase is “Forgive me Father for I have sinned.” Later in Hurricane he lays out the generation’s predicament “asleep at the wheel” and “Not in control/it would be crazy to think that we are” but confesses that no matter how bad things get it never seems to be enough to cause repentance.

Ford connects the two most important things in the world – the world... and the love of boy and girl. The big universal issues are threaded to the intimacy of real tangible romantic love.  This is most recognised in the final altar call song Call To Arms, a beautifully tender song of commitment; the holding of the loved one is going to be what fires any change that might come along.  Another beautifully poignant song Stephen encapsulates the pain of the murder of a loved one and the futility and hopefulness of the Northern Irish Troubles, all in just over three minutes; one of the best songs about my troubled little country that I have ever heard.

The best song of all is To Hell With The World another song that enjoys the harbour of love to drown out the madness of the world that seems impotent in politics – “There’s no story to tell, but there’s a spokesperson yelling/At a volume to drown out your voice/Seeing justice be done, there’s a change gonna come/But in secret and you won’t get a choice” and the media – “Yeah, and maybe the greatest of heroes they inhabit the stories that nobody hears/And maybe the songs that could’ve brought you to life were not allowed to get close to your ears.” In the end it is the less spectacular places and people where beauty and truth are found. It is almost an extension of the aforementioned Call To Arms – “So we’ll stand and we’ll sing, ‘cause there are beautiful things if you know the places they hide.” My theo-musicological head was drawn to the lines: - “And they’ll hide from you darling, they will, far away from the changing regimes/There’s a light, there’s a right, tonight isn’t as dark as it seems/So when victory comes at too heavy a price, well there’s honour in choosing defeat/Like the boy who was given the keys to the world and decided to sleep on the street.” There seems to be a belief in the ultimate victory of right but the character who brings that victory is the opposite of what the world might think. That last line could be the Christ figure giving up the throne of heaven for the stable at Bethlehem. Whether I am reading too much in or not, it is a subversive revolution.  

Too many other great songs to mention but this is David Ford taking all the potential of his work until now and fulfilling it all... and then some.

Comments

[Paul B]

visited itunes today and downloaded this in light of your review... oh so very good! Cheers

[Gar]

Would have missed this one.

[Craig]

Ooops ... on first glance i thought this was a new book by theologian David Ford ... who I enjoy reading very much ... but listening to a new CD will take a lot less time ... hopefully will be equally edifying and enjoyable

[acai berry properties]

why you don't share another review with us !

[Andrew]

Brilliant review, of a fantastic album, the most under rated musician in the world hands down.

[ebel patio furniture]

I have no question about this whole article.