DAVID FORD
I Sincerely Apologise for All the Trouble I’ve Caused
Independiente
· Sincerely tender and troubled. You wouldn’t want to break up with this guy.
The debut album from the U.K.’s latest heart sleeve-studded songwriter delivers like a twisted, guilt-ridden break-up letter.
Beginning with the gut wrenching "I Don’t Care What You Call Me," where the ashes of a failed relationship are unceremoniously scattered around the lovers’ apartment, the emotional landscape of the album is potent and raw. With a few exceptions, Ford wrote, produced and performed all nine very cathartic tracks. An acoustic guitar or piano comprise the shell of each, with organ, harmonica and even the tenor saxophone surfacing throughout, much like estranged lovers hurling debris into the post-mortem mix.
For the most part, the results are convincing. Songs like "Cheer Up (You Miserable F**k)" and "If You Only" are simple, yet striking testaments to Ford’s honesty. Comparisons to Ryan Adams and David Gray spring to mind, although Ford’s convictions are hungrier, if not more lethal and revealing.
Clearly, Ford is purging his demons on his own terms, coaxing each skeleton from the closet as though his own battered psyche depended on it. Although some of the songs tend to drag on a tad, the lyrical and musical quality of I Sincerely Apologise… is consistently strong throughout. Let’s just hope the apology doesn’t send Ford’s muse packing.
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