Some Day
Dwayne Ford brings a professional resume to his album "Some Day".
It is largely progressive adult contemporary, but is vast in it's style and influence. You'll hear elements of jazz, blues, classical, and contemporary to name a few. Mr. Ford's vocals are strong, passionate, and appropriate for the concept of the sound. The arrangements are high-caliber and the production quality is top notch. Highlights are the cover of "Scarborough Fair", a creative and interesting take on a classic. "10 Years on the Inside" features some great guitar work and nice harmony in the vocals. "No Prayer" is a nice little jazzy/bluesy number with strong vocals and lyrics. If you like Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins, you will like this one.
William and the RadioIndy.com Reviewer Team
Some Summer Rock Solid Discs
Dwayne Ford’s "On The Other Side" is a contrast to the previous as gasoline is to brake fluid. Obviously one makes you go but the other is necessary to stop. Both essential elements on life’s journey using combustion propelled vessels. And Dwayne Ford will make you stop, stop and listen to the feel, the sound, the lyrical sociological rhetoric. Dwayne Ford has a jazzy feel mixing elements of Enigma, Hornsby and eastern influences. "On The Other Side" is beautifully arranged with such stunning background vocals it draws you in so close you can feel the street. Dwayne’s voice has a harmonious quality all on its own but again the added level of arrangement I can not let go as it just elevates these songs. "Any Fool With a Gun" is brilliant and its message rings loud and clear. "Rio Stat" and "Any Fool With A Gun" done a second time instrumentally let you sit back and just soak it all in. If you got a happy place, you’re there, if not, this is the map. My favorite song without a doubt is "Somebody Ought To". This is a story Dwayne weaves through a melody gritty enough to stand alone in the darkest corners. A day in the life of a tortured soul. Add in the choral background, super slick guitar solo and I’m done. It will affect you..
Fraser Wareham
“If I should ever die, God forbid,
let this be my epitaph:
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"THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC”
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― Kurt Vonnegut
On The Other Side
Music to the ears CD Reviews “On The Other Side”
Dwayne Ford the composer serves Dwayne Ford the performer very well on his newest CD release. Ford's gifted musical talent combines nicely with a soaring backdrop of choral and orchestral arrangements to make this eight-track collection a real pleasure to listen to. A professional musician since age 16, Ford brings considerable talent to the table in the form of superb vocal work. ‘Any Fool With A Gun’ is the CD's first single. There could easily be more.
Paul Rellinger - myKawartha.com
A Canadian indie gem Music review By Alexandra Pope
They say you can’t judge an album by its cover, but one look at the liner of veteran composer Dwayne Ford’s latest offering, ‘On the Other Side’, gives the listener a pretty good idea of what they’re in for. A line of soldiers is seen posed in silhouette, guns at the ready, behind a tiled glass window. It’s one of a series of mixed-media artworks by U.K. artist David Lewis-Baker created as a personal response to the Iraq War. Ford too has done his fair share of thinking about war and violence since his last album, 2007’s Some Day, and the results are thought-provoking and occasionally unsettling. This is music with a social conscience, ironically billed as “easy listening” when in fact the subject matter of many of the songs is not easy at all.
The first single, ‘Any Fool With A Gun’ is a brooding synth-driven reflection on the gang violence that plagues city streets, occasionally catching innocent victims in the crossfire. Likewise, the title track, ‘On the Other Side’ paints a desolate picture of war. Backing vocalists Shelly Jones and Rhonda Withnell murmur the chorus, a chant-like poem that could be anyone’s inner monologue, soldier or civilian: “Time is the fire in the desert where the men go/to kill or to be killed, dying on the sands.” The next song, ‘Somebody Ought To’ is logically placed to be a followup to ‘On the Other Side’ exploring the hidden wounds war inflicts on its participants long after they return home. Ford, with his warm, slightly gruff voice, is perfectly believable as a soldier who is haunted by memories of the things he’s seen and done in combat. Intense and powerful, Ford’s musical explorations of violence are set-pieces, which makes ‘On the Other Side’ better enjoyed alone on a quiet night than as the soundtrack to your next backyard barbecue.
‘On the Other Side’ is a labour of love, a deeply personal glimpse at the inner life of a man who has made his living bringing other projects to life through music. For music explorers seeking something special from the Canadian indie scene, On the Other Side is a solid choice.
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I'm so glad to be living in the age of the electric guitar...