The youngest of the three Ford brothers, Mark Ford had a span of 15 years between his first album and this one. It features him on harp and vocals with brother Robben on guitar, and Robben's Blue Line members Roscoe Beck on bass and Tom Brechtlein on drums. It was produced by eldest brother Patrick, owner of Blue Rock'It Records. Mark's voice is very similar to Robben's -- perhaps a little deeper, but less soulful. When it comes to his harp playing, he seems to gravitate toward the high notes. The CD consists mostly of high-energy modern blues, with plenty of Robben's trademark guitar for his fans to soak up (particularly on "Get a Woman That Loves Me"). All of the tracks were written by Mark. "Gimme Some" is just plain funky, while "Feelin' Disconnected" has a Latin beat, a jazzy guitar, and a catchy harp lick. "Get a Woman That Loves Me" is the "deepest" blues cut here, a 12-bar tune with a Delta flavor. "Illusory World" has a killer bass solo from Beck, one of the best in the business and a hero to many bass players. There's also "Breakin' in the Fast Lane," a steady-rockin', '50s-style song. The only true weak spot here is "Words of the Preacher," a steadily thumping, repetitive screecher which tends to annoy in a manner similar to nails on a chalkboard. Patrick Ford describes this as music that is "performed from the heart without worrying about how blues music 'should' or 'shouldn't' be played." In other words, blues purists should avoid this one, but it should satisfy just about everyone else. ~ Ann Wickstrom Mark Ford is truely one of the most unique blues artists performing today. Though Paul Butterfield was his inspiration he has always been an original in both his harp playing and his song writing. Along with his brothers Robben and Patrick Ford, Mark has continued the family tradition of doing whatever feels right and not worrying about what others might say about the right or wrong way to play the blues. On these recordings he is once again backed up by his brother Robben, and his band the Blue Line, and he is produced by his brother Patrick. The songs go from moody to all out fun and the words go from silly to quite serious at times. This release features harp playing like few can do it and the energy of Mark and the band is enough to excite and satisfy anyone. Mark Ford & The Blue Line: Mark Ford, Robben Ford, Tom Brechtlein, Roscoe Beck. Personnel: Mark Ford (vocals, harp); Garth Webber, Robben Ford (guitar); Tony "Macaroni" Lufrano (keyboards); Tom Brechtlein (drums). Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.