Sublime

David Ford's second album. The so-called 'difficult second album'. Was it going to build on the first? Was it going to move on whilst retaining the raw emotion of the first? Was it going to alienate the hardcore fans?

A number of the new songs have been played live for a while now. Couple this with the fact that Ford bootlegs are readily available and seemingly encouraged and you'll find a double-edged sword. The songs are familiar and loved, but will they be too familiar for the album to have an effect?

On first listen, Songs for the Road reveals a less sparse approach in comparison to I Sincerely Apologise.. The upbeat, almost perky Decimate, the out-and-out raucous jam of Requiem's outro, Nobody Tells Me What To Do's clap-happy pub-along (definitely one to be belted in the face of anyone enforcing last orders) and the gospelish groove of Train all tip the nod to a more grandiose arrangement than before.

However, take a closer look and the intimacy and simplicity of the earlier material is just as prevalent. In particular the closing track ..And So You Fell, sister song to If You Only from the first album, makes you almost feel he's there in the room.

In fact generally this album seems to be one thing in one light and then the light changes and you see different reflections that you didn't realise were there. For instance, a charge often leveled is that of being miserable. But look again and you'll find the hopeful survivor in I'm Alright Now, the defiant romanticism of Song for the Road or the "there for you" love in Decimate.

I think it's safe to say that Songs for the Road delivers and delivers well.. If you already love David Ford it's a great step on. If you've yet to hear of him, it's a great place to start.