Declaration of Independence (Deluxe Edition)

Colt Ford steps into the first song of his fourth album with defiance. “Answer to No One” opens brazenly as the former golf pro turned country/hip-hop star declares that he’s a "shotgun toter, Republican voter" over a stomping beat lifted from Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” Guest vocals from JJ Lawhorn give the chorus a catchy melody. An Auto-Tuned Jason Aldean does the same for the chorus in “Drivin’ Around Song,” which would be a ballad save for Ford’s thick drawled rhymes in the verses. The banjos and distorted guitars keep the refrain of “Ain’t Out of the Woods Yet” steeped in old-school Southern rock, with ample help from Montgomery Gentry on the singing parts. Fans of The White Stripes will notice a similarity between the guitars on “Dancin’ While Intoxicated (DWI)” and those of “Seven Nation Army” (LoCash Cowboys and Redneck Social Club contribute R&B singing and counter-rhymes). Similarly, “50/50” borrows the riff from Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”—which is appropriate, since Ford threatens to beat up city slickers in the album’s only guest-free song.