The PR blurb that came with the release talks about how Annie Ford was reared in the “sparse, rustic darkness of rural America.” Â One of the notes from my first listen to the release was, “what David Lynch would have used if he chose bluegrass for Twin Peaks.” Â From those two comments I think you can get a sense of what will draw you into the debut, self-titled, release from the Annie Hall Band.
 The songs on the disc are easily divided into two categories.  Annie Ford”s compositions fall into a slower ballad column with somewhat breathy vocals and a full range of country and bluegrass instruments that give an edge to what might otherwise get dropped into casino online a mainstream folk bucket.  Dirty Hearts And Broken Dishes sounds like a George Jones song from the 70″s, but the electric bass and sweet pedal steel give it a unique sound that would never come out of Nashville.  My Brother tells the story of little sister missing big brother from 3000 miles away and while almost certainly a personal reminisce it translates to sibling love everywhere.  All Hours is a bluesy country song that”s delightfully twangy.
The other songs on the album are penned by drummer Matt Manges, who follows a more uptempo, jazz-laced, path. Â Frankie is almost a Dixieland number, with Ford”s fiddle replacing the clarinet. Â Better still, it”s a murder ballad along the lines of Rocky Raccoon. Â Shake On That is even farther down the jazz lane, with a good bit of horns that give it the most robust sound on the record. Â Buick 1966 is where you most get the dark and rustic feel on the album, with wah-wah pedals taking you to a Quentin Tarantino place. Â Similarly, Gotta Kill A Rooster is what led me to the Twin Peaks bluegrass note, with Ford turning her fiddle into a play-your-vinyl-record-backwards sounding instrument.
The debut album from the Annie Ford Band is not like anything else you”re going to hear this year. Â It”s fun and dark, twangy and jazzy, and with some lyrical moments that can lead you to places you didn”t expect. Â It”s something you should go check out.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.