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She's an unsigned artist who has just jacked in the day job for music. Marcus Dubois meets a remarkable young woman on a mission.
A classic-looking popstar with curly blond locks and slinky onstage moves, Ford is an unusual marriage of political musings with a solid pop sensibility. Stripped back to an acoustic bass and guitar her voice poured into the confined space, bringing an emotional charge to otherwise simplistic pop. In this she is reminiscent of fellow singer-songwriter Nerina Pallot with her lilting tones and folk phrasing. Cat and Mouse is a classic bittersweet tale made compelling by the quiet way in which Ford sings: "I just want to scream at you". Not for her raw emoting; dark feelings are presented with a controlled pop sheen that is oddly beguiling. Nowhere is this more apparent than Dear Bully, where beautiful vocals deal with an ugly subject. With a voice that evokes Dolores O'Riordan of the Cranberries, a cover of Zombie slotted neatly into the set. Finally, So Long was a folk acoustic with Ford's yearnings to reunite with a lost love. Having recently come to the end of a four-year relationship Ford is surprisingly sanguine about such life events.
"It kind of smacked me in the face to be honest. I suppose you could call it a wake-up call." she says cheerfully. The same phrase is used when the large bruise on her arm is pointed out. Having recently fought off a random attack by a stranger while travelling near her home in South London, she chuckles heartily while telling the story. With a burning energy and a big-hearted approach to music, Thea Ford is a force to be reckoned with.
Marcus Dubois - InTheNews.com
A stunning singing voice is the first thing to be ticked in the credit column of Thea Ford. The second and third ticks duly arrive by the fact that her songs are catchy and her lyrics are good. A recipe for a great pop album, then. Thea lists Alanis Morissette and Shakira as some of her influences and this shines through as there is an air of both singers about this release. Her debut album is very story driven, filled with passion and genuine sounding emotion, and there’s a real mix of lively pop and beautiful ballads. Thea is one to watch.
Cal Sherlock - The Crack Magazine
Finally, a record from a female singer/songwriter that is not stuffed with maudling ballads about broken hearts! Instead, sultry songstress Thea Ford has conjured a spiky and sassy collection, which brings a new meaning to the concept of ‘girl power’.
Monkey to the West is brimming with feminine spunk, especially on the thrashy ‘Dear Bully’ and the punchy defiance of ‘Fall Down’. Ballads’s still play a part in this compelling opus, but are delivered with a raw, fractious sensuality that lifts them above any KT Tunstall-type tedium. ‘So Long’ and ‘Made for You’.
Her “heart on sleeve” writing style creates a record that is easy to connect with her romantic frustration and general existential angst about the world that we inhabit. For sheer passion, this deserves a wider audience, who will be charmed, beguiled and won over by her modern-folk gems.
Jamie Brannon - Freeq Magazine
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Bio
At first encounter Cambridge born singer/songwriter Thea Ford is instantly engaging, with an abundance of blonde curls, a beaming smile and a contagious passion for life she's hard not to notice. But what truly makes this latest edition to our flourishing army of British female artists so captivating is, quite simply, her voice. Reminiscent of a young Delores O'Riordan, Ford's raw, haunting vocals pour out effortlessly over beautifully simplistic pop, creating music to move both your feet and your soul.
Born into a close family, where creativity was actively encouraged Ford started out in music at the age of four and by the age of seven, having already written her first song, it was apparent that music was going to feature heavily in her life. She took piano and guitar lessons and played around with song writing until well into her teens. However, a two year stint at a strict performing arts school left Ford with a bitter taste in her mouth and at the age of 18 she ceased musical involvement all together.
Over the next few years, whilst happily distracted with bars and boys her focus moved on to listening and living rather than playing and when she moved to London in 2003 and finally returned to writing the two culminated in song after song from the heart. Particularly apparent in Ford's musical style today is the influence of the strong female musicians that played an important role in those teenage years, such as Alanis Morissette, Shakira, Jewel and Sheryl Crow, who were never far from the CD player.
Over the past four years Ford has worked a 9-5 by day to fund rehearsals and recordings by night. However, in October 2009 she left her full-time job to focus solely on managing her music career. It was a bold move but with Radio play including 3 live sessions BBC Introducing shows, a pending release with Universal distribution and UK tours in April & September 2010 it's clear it was the right one.
"With a voice that evokes Dolores O'Riordan of the Cranberries... a classic-looking pop star with curly blonde locks and slinky onstage moves, Ford is an unusual marriage of political musings with a solid pop sensibility." Marcus Dubois (InTheNews.co.uk)
Cat & Mouse, the 2nd single to be released from her debut album, 'Monkey to the West', is a testimony to her heart-on-sleeve approach to song writing and spells the tale of a relationship gone sour. Theas raw vocals pour out over this modern guitar led country/pop track, asking; Where did it start? What did you say? Why wont it stop now? pulling us a world of unrequited affection, something that far too many people experience.
On stage, backed by her four-piece band and joined regularly on stage by various other instrumentalists, Ford shines, breathing life into the audience. At a time when most female artists are drawing attention for the eccentric and abstract, the natural style and raw emotion of Ford's performance is powerfully refreshing. Having recently played a number of successful shows in London at venues including Sound, Monto Water Rats, Proud Galleries and the prestigious Bush Hall, Ford and her band are taking things further a field in 2010 with UK tours in both April and September.
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