self-released

Marc Ford may be best known for his work in the Black Crowes, but on his
debut solo album, the appropriately titled It’s About Time, he shows
that
he's more than capable of being front-and-center with the focus resting on
his
own material.

Once Ford cleaned up his act following his departure from the Crowes in
1997 he's been involved in several other projects (Blue Floyd, Chris
Stills),
but nothing that displayed the full range of his musical personality. One
band, Federale, was signed to Interscope Records but found itself out of a
contract following that company's purchase and subsequent roster
consolidation.

So, on one hand you could say he's been a busy man over the past five
years, but It’s About Time represents a long-in-the-making
representation
of who he is.

The predominant attitude on his album reminds me of another solo release
by an ex-guitarist for a high profile band — former Guns N' Roses member
Gilby Clarke's Pawn Shop Guitars. His album and Ford's have a
relaxed presence that serves the songs well.

Whereas Clarke displayed the gritty influence of the Rolling Stones and
the Faces, Ford openly displays his affection for Neil Young. He may have
started It’s About Time with a breezy "Tumbling Dice"-era feel on
"Hell or
Highwater" but he returns to Young's sludgy rock fury and country-folk
intimacy on numbers such as "Two Mules and a Rainbow," which has the
temperament of Crazy Horse prior to their morning
coffee, and "When You Go" and "Shining Again," which offer the contentment
found on Young's "Comes a Time."

It's not much of a surprise that Gary Louris of the Jayhawks appears on
the album. His band has also shown the influence of Young. Also joining Ford
are Gov't Mule (with the late Allen Woody), Ben Harper, Berry Oakley Jr.
(ex-Bloodline)
and Chris Stills.

There are variations to these influences, all of them blues-based and
sharpened by skillful songwriting. That's Ford's strength: the effortless
manner in which the material passes through, never overbearing,
just casually inviting. It's a record that sounds as
if it was made decades ago and could shine just as bright decades from now.