At a time when a large segment of the music world is racing to keep pace with ever-shifting trends, Tony Ford is taking a heartfelt step in the opposite direction with the warm-hearted "Old American Way." The first single from his forthcoming EP, "I Hope Somebody Breaks Your Heart," is set for release in Fall 2025. The track is a warm, road-dusted journey combining Americana, indie folk, and a splash of folk rock into a timeless and timely sound.
Recorded with producer Casey Frensz at Inner Groove Studios in Minneapolis, "Old American Way" has the in-the-moment intimacy of a late-night conversation and the craftsmanship of an artist who knows where he's been. Another Minnesota-bred talent, Ford is a transplant who's played with everyone from The Cedar Shakers to The Fords & The SawTones and is a serious musical force to be reckoned with. That broad musical foundation comes through. This is not just a song or a piece of music but a tapestry.
"Old American Way" displays Ford's gift for infusing every strum, beat, and breath with sincerity and soul. His vocals have a lived-in patina, a faded flannel's warmth of a good memory, and the band's instrumentation has a nice mix of down-home charm and polished story-making. It's not hard to imagine snow falling to this song while rolling through dusty rural backroads or catching it spinning from a vinyl record in a kitchen bathed in candlelight.
The words are out of sight, but the tone and phrasing are redolent of themes of reflection, shifting times, and the unflashy power of tradition. And by doing so, he welcomes you into something more personal than political and more emotional than performative. "Old American Way" hints at a promising chapter in Tony Ford's music career. If this song is any indication, the forthcoming EP will be one to watch, grounded in folk tradition yet thoroughly vibrating along today's emotional frequencies. With tales sung with candor and unobtrusively lush arrangements, Ford's music underscores why folk still has meaning.
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