SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JOHN FORD – BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

JOHN FORD
BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE
ICONOCLASSIC RECORDS

It has been five years since John Ford has released a solo album. He has been busy performing, helping his former bandmate David Cousins for the last Strawbs’ release, and working with his son, but Ford has been missed and Between A Rock And A Hard Place feels long overdue. Ford, who was a member of the Strawbs, Hudson-Ford, The Monks, and Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera, not to mention a healthy solo career has a healthy history, is known for his creative writing and playing. With Between A Rock And A Hard Place, he returns to his roots with a straight-ahead rock album, an album that is personal, spiritual, and features top notch playing.

Ford sets the stage from the very beginning. He opens the album with the title track; a confessional type rocker, with a strong melody, great guitar and it introduces the album. He switches gears with the second song, turning to his synthesizer with the wonderful “The Last Goodbye.” One can’t help but see this as a tribute to David Cousins (to whom the album is dedicated), with whom Ford had spent many years working with in the Strawbs. It is a tribute without being maudlin and yet it is very moving. The same with the song “Lilacs and Hollyhocks,” a song on which he had planned to collaborate with Cousins. The song is so gentle, lovely and lonely, but very powerful. It is beautifully arranged.

While Ford is a talented songwriter, he does wear his influences on his sleeve throughout the album. And he has every right to do so. He doesn’t copy anyone, but one can hear the music and artists who he has been listening to over the years. He also covers two songs by two artists he references throughout the album, Tom Petty’s “Walls” and George Harrison’s “Rising Sun” (from Harrison’s final album, Brainwashed). While he remains faithful to the originals, he does bring his sound to both. With “Rising Sun,” he makes it harder than the original, and it works. The power chords at the beginning bring the song in, whereas Harrison did not go that route, but it is the perfect setting. With “Walls” he does not stray too far but it is interesting to hear his take on the Petty song.

There is a lot on this album, love songs, reflective songs, personal observations and songs about life and loss. However, Ford produces this album so it is not depressing, but rather celebratory. Ford is not only a strong, talented guitarist but has a fantastic voice. He also experiments with sounds and textures (“The Ship And The Sea”). A Rock And A Hard Place is a brilliant and mature work from an artist who has been missed for the past few years.

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