Now 50, gay adult film star-cum-recording artist Colton Ford is finally hitting his stride
AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT | It took 50 years, but Colton Ford is finally living his dream — and he has the pipes to show it’s not a fluke.
RICH LOPEZ | Contributing Writer
getrichindallas@gmail.com
Many men in the gay community are probably familiar with the name Colton Ford, but probably not initially as a philosophizing musician. Ford is OK with that — as long as you don’t make the mistake of boxing him in.
On a career trajectory that started as a struggling musician to marquee adult film star, Ford has boomeranged back to music, hitting his stride this year with an impressive new album (see review) amidst some difficult personal drama.
Ford speaks almost with a newfound wisdom about his life and how The Way I Am represents the growth of his craft. What’s more, he backs it up with songs that are high quality in production and a clear voice both literally and figuratively. Perhaps this is the dawn of Ford’s coming (OK, pun intended).
“I’m at a particular place in my life at age 50 and yes, I’m at that stage that fights the little voice knocking how old I am, but the fact is I’m here and I’m doing it,” he says.
“It” would be continuing to make music, which has been his life-long goal. After pursuing the dream for 30 years in small music groups and just-missed opportunities, Ford didn’t falter. Even as a recognizable celebrity in his own right as an adult-film star, music was dream No. 1.
“Often times, shit gets fucked up and there you are at square one and it’s hard to power through peaks and valleys, but I had to,” he says. “I found that I still had a vision and yes, it’s different than it was back in my twenties, but it’s still significant.”
Simply reading the track list on The Way I Am you can ascertain that something’s on his mind. There is a statement being made here with titles like his first single “Let Me Live Again,” “Change (You’re Gonna Have To)” and the title track.
“The goal was to capitalize on everything I’ve been doing, specifically over the last six years. We wanted a mainstream sound that tapped into my base inspiration of R&B, which is what I’ve always loved. And we wanted to tell a story that had a beginning, middle and end,” he says.
As triumphant as the album sounds, Ford is quick to give credit to his musical partners and his manager. He speaks of their contributions with reverence to putting his point of view down on tape. Most importantly, they brought out the best of Ford. In previous releases, there has been something hesitant in Ford’s singing. His voice is there, but was his soul?
“My manager, Bo Coleman, knows the music business and just has that ear to know how to craft pop music. I think that enabled me to step it up as well as the people who came in to collaborate on this,” he says. “The whole process was an organic one was truly satisfying as an artist. Even with all of us working with different perspectives, that cohesion fell into place like a puzzle. The album is also a testament to my musical partners here. I couldn’t sleep tonight because I felt something unique and special was happening.”
Although he doesn’t say, Ford’s own life may have been filtering through this album. His mother passed earlier this year and he dramatically relocated from California to New York. And the astronomy buff was so focused on the studio that he even missed the recent “super moon.” But if life is art, then he used that stress to deliver a solid album — and more over, has used his age to his advantage. Forget silver fox and daddy labels. Ford is embracing 50 with the wisdom he’s earned and learned over time.
“I’m so grateful for my therapist who has kept me in my work, but in my 50th year, I’m reminded that I’m entitled to be an artist and still have something to say. We live in a world of ageism, but that can’t defy anyone from creating. I feel empowered and for anyone who is ‘older,’ I hope this album proves you don’t have to stop pursuing your dreams or passion at a certain age.”
And even look good doing it.
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REVIEW: ‘The Way I Am’
Colton Ford isn’t shy about crediting his collaborators on his new CD, The Way I Am — an album Ford was born to make. This collection shows us the essence of Ford’s abilities. Despite his beefy muscles (and other endowments), the disc proves his most powerful body part is his voice.
The first single, “Let Me Live Again,” is dynamite in its structure. With a pounding dance beat as a foundation, Ford lets loose with some major falsetto action while also giving him something to say. It’s easy to release a dance song by singing over a club beat then remixing and Autotuning the hell out of it, and Ford probably could have gotten away with that on his name alone, but he doesn’t resort to that. Instead, he gives a healthy dose of lyrics to “Live Again” that elevate the track beyond a mere dance floor tune to an energetic as well as sweet song.
This formula never falters. He seduces on “Look My Way,” while the song crescendos into lush disco. His vocal runs ooze confidence and compounded with his natural sex appeal, the track is as much swoony as it is strong. Additionally, he convinces us that he’s trying to get someone to well, look his way (as if they already weren’t). That’s impressive.
Initially the title track plays as “not bad,” but then it makes you ask, “is that a squeezebox?” This unexpected layer washes over you with jaw-dropping effect. Ford and company straddle the line of reliable sensibilities for dance music to build on and their experimentation with narrative lyrics and sound samples are done with abandon, which is also noticeable on “The Music Always Gets You Back.”
The dance sound could have been a crutch for Ford had he not applied a layer of humanity to his songs, but then he ventures out of his box with the final ballad “Alone.” Ford serves up some major Babyface action here, with a sultry flow that’s pretty close to baby-making music. But it says that Ford wants to deliver something more than the expected sexy club music he’s more famous for. The song, as well as the entire album, says Colton Ford is a bona fide musician.
— R.L.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition September 13, 2013.