Songs for the Road is the second album from UK singer songwriter David Ford, following up on the 2005 release - ‘I sincerely apologise for all the trouble I’ve caused’.

In between albums, Ford has been busy supporting Ray Lamontagne and Starsailor (although not when I saw them), Elvis Costello, Gomez and Suzanne Vega - some of those influences can be seen in this set of romantic and sometimes melancholy songs.

Opening with ‘Go to Hell’, strings and brass have been added into the mix and the gentle, almost chamber arrangement of the opener offsets the slightly bluesy voice and regretful lyrics.

And so it continues - Decimate, with its slightly more upbeat perspective shows off his south-east of England accent. Later on are the almost impossible dark ‘St Peter’ and ‘Requiem’ with its broody and angry lyrics about the state of today against a really bluesy harmonica arrangement.

Highlights for me are ‘Song for the Road’ and the early mentioned ‘Decimate’ which despite being the most accessible track is still peppered with some dark lyrics:

You decimate my inhibitions, I can’t be sane…
Lets take a walk out on the broken glass.

Its a beautiful album - and although the comparisons with some of the influences above are valid (certainly more valid than the inevitable James Blunt, James Morrison references) - this guy has a unique lyrical quality that sets him apart from the rest of the current crop of singer songwriters.

Great album - well sung and delivered.