Country Is As Country Does

Colt Ford proves that adding country to rap doesn’t equal crap. It may be difficult for some folks to expect palatable music from blending the two opposing genres — perhaps more so when it’s played by a 40-year-old Caucasian man who was once a PGA golf pro. But Ford takes an outlaw’s approach with both styles, allowing for truer grit on both sides. He grew up in Georgia listening to twangy tunes and urban cuts because he lived in the middle of both environments and refused to take sides. He gives “urban cowboy” a new meaning with opening track “Buck ‘Em,” the official theme for Professional Bull Riders, Inc. “Huntin’ the World” sounds equally gangsta though the name-dropping lyrics seem inspired by David Allan Coe’s “Willie, Waylon and Me.” Things get more honky-tonkin’ on “Big White Redneck” which rides on a chorus borrowing heavily from George Strait’s “All My Ex’s Live In Texas.” Andy Griggs lends vox and guitar on “Day In the Life.” Traditionalists claim that Ford may never get to play on the Grand Ole Opry stage but the same was once said about the Byrds.