Marc Ford - Weary and wired CD 2007 DIGIPACK ex-Black Crowes guitarist

Legacy Recordings ( November 13, 2007 ), Genre: Rock & Pop

Ex-Black Crowes guitarslinger Marc Ford's second solo album literally sounds like a classic. With its conflagrant riffing, big six-string tones, blues bedrock, and tunes that swing from soulful pop ballads like "The Other Side" to grinders like "Don't Come Around, " the disc recalls a time in the '60s when groups like the MC5 and Humble Pie were at rock's creative apex. The wah-wah-mad instrumental "The Big Callback" also nods to Hendrix, and "Smoke Signals" has the drama of early Neil Young and Crazy Horse. But ultimately Ford's a synthesist, not a copycat, so his unpredictable guitar heroics are as likely to explode into clouds of whinnying feedback as to sprint into marathons of bent, ringing sustained notes and pentatonic scales. Ford's lyrics display a street poet's sensibility that matches his light-sandpaper voice. And as a song interpreter, he shakes the dust off "That Same Thing" with expressionistic jabs of moaning, raging guitar that make the hoary blues chestnut a raw, unexpected highlight. "Just Take the Money" trumpets contempt for his former bandmates. That's not the classiest move, but with his own fiery style at his absolute command, Ford needn't worry about burning bridges. --Ted Drozdowski

Ex-Black Crowes guitarslinger Marc Ford's second solo album literally sounds like a classic. With its conflagrant riffing, big six-string tones, blues bedrock, and tunes that swing from soulful pop ballads like "The Other Side" to grinders like "Don't Come Around, " the disc recalls a time in the '60s when groups like the MC5 and Humble Pie were at rock's creative apex. The wah-wah-mad instrumental "The Big Callback" also nods to Hendrix, and "Smoke Signals" has the drama of early Neil Young and Crazy Horse. But ultimately Ford's a synthesist, not a copycat, so his unpredictable guitar heroics are as likely to explode into clouds of whinnying feedback as to sprint into marathons of bent, ringing sustained notes and pentatonic scales. Ford's lyrics display a street poet's sensibility that matches his light-sandpaper voice. And as a song interpreter, he shakes the dust off "That Same Thing" with expressionistic jabs of moaning, raging guitar that make the hoary blues chestnut a raw, unexpected highlight. "Just Take the Money" trumpets contempt for his former bandmates. That's not the classiest move, but with his own fiery style at his absolute command, Ford needn't worry about burning bridges. --Ted Drozdowski

Weary and Wired , Marc Ford s first CD for the Blues Bureau International label, was a significant recording showcasing Marc s strength as asinger/songwriter, fueled by large doses of his phenomenal guitar work that fans and reviewers compared to guitar masters such as Clapton, Hendrixand Beck. After touring for much of 2007 in support Weary And Wired , Ford entered the studio earlier this year and delivered a blues infused set of original songs where his guitar is featured front and center. The advance feedback for Marc Ford & The Neptune Blues Club is that Ford has delivered his finest studio work to date.