Brian Ledford

“From Sunlight Into Shadow” is one cool ass album...the songs possess a complexity without alienating the listener ever and draw them into this awesomely talented artist..." - ‘Rebel’ Rod Ames - From Under The Basement

"...also Brian Ledford whose title track will be a strong contender for my choice of "song of the year.""
- Shotgun Majors

A convincing and original slab of Americana roots rock
TRUTH & LOVE doesn’t mess around, kicking off impressively with the powerful band-driven rocker Marooned, Ledford getting straight into the story within seconds. A simple guitar, bass and drums lineup is completed by a horn section that never intrusively forces its way into the mix, and complements the songs well. Ledford himself has a world-weary kind of tone to his voice that gives conviction to the lyrics, a catalogue of tales of wisdom, life, and love. The jewel in the crown, band-wise, is the appearance of Redd Vokaert, a modern-day country guitar legend.

While TRUTH & LOVE doesn’t stray too far from many of the conventions of Americana, there are enough moments of originality that shove this album way beyond the usual run-of-the-mill. The horn section helps add moments of tension and drama and Ledford’s voice occasionally sounds like it’s just about to lose control, but never does, particularly on Anywhere You Go, adding an emotional depth lacking from many artists. Sadly, I felt that Ledford’s voice was a little lost at times, hidden a little in amongst the music, rather than leading from the front. Presumably you want your lyrics to be heard loud and clear, particularly if you have spent time crafting them, and that’s just not the case here. Stones on the Bottom of the Sea’s vocal sound is presumably intended to convey something of the title but drowns the lyric, making it a real effort to pick out what he’s singing about.

I’d love to make a simple comparison as a reference point to Brian Ledford but he stands out on his own, doing something a little different to your average singer-songwriter. He has the knack of subtly taking a melody in a slightly different direction to what you might have expected and his band really do justice to his song writing, bringing the best out of them with some well-considered instrumentation. The Truth and Love is the highlight of the album, in some ways reminding me of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ RAISING SAND, with some lovely female harmony vocals. The Plan (Is Revealed) shows best some of Ledford’s original touches and is a fantastic minor-key waltz. I’ve knocked off half a mark lost for the swamped vocal sound but don’t let that put you off. This is a classy album by somebody I expect to become more of a familiar name in years to come. SM - Maverick Magazine

Cool country rock from North West America.

There are plenty of albums out there with 'grower' written all over them - this is one. Given time, you'll find all kinds of interesting bits.

Seattle's Brian Ledford is well known for his rugged country rock escapades, carved out of granite and chalk.

Ledford explains his evolution like this. "I've always listened to anything and everything and of course I was steeped in the Texas music and traditions I grew up with. But I never dreamed I would make this record. Something just happened. I turned a corner and these quieter, earthier songs started seeping out. I just went with it."

Lucky for him things have turned out well. Truth and Love is an excellent and sometimes heady brew of rough'n'ready rock (Judging From A Safe Distance) and country-tinged ballads (Borderline).

Ledford tells his stories with clarity and empathy, backed by a well drilled band that swing the moods with ease. Only a top band can do this so well.

Putting them through their paces he tilts his hat towards grizzly rock a la Neil Young (with Crazy Horse) on Stones At The Bottom Of The Sea, then he swings them into deep country with lashings of pedal steel courtesy Jon Hyde while duetting brilliantly with the dulcet tones of Zoe Muth of unsigned The Lost High Rollers.

Anywhere You Go is lightweight pop-rock with a whopping and infections chorus, crunching guitars and solos.

For this reviewer, Ledford is at his best on the slowies like laidback ballad The Plan, a simple acoustic-lead gem, rolling out fabulous heavenly backups. Sensible is sparse and dusty country, with fuzzy guitars ghosting, a perfect blend.

Sun Down is a dreamy and stylish end to a collection that confirms a man on top of his game.

The verdict - Class.
- allgigs.co.uk

DJ Shotgun Majors on KRVM ranked "The Truth and Love" his #5 song of 2009! You can listen to his top 20 picks on his Tupelo Honey podcast.

http://krvmtupelohoney.blogspot.com/2010/01/tupelo-honey-playlist-1509-top-20-songs.html - Tupelo Honey, on KRVM Radio, Eugene, Oregon

Produced, engineered and mixed by Matt Brown | Mastered by JJ Golden at Golden Mastering | Recorded Oct. 2008 to Feb. 2009 at The Brewery Recording Company in Seattle | Mixed Feb. 2009 at Avast! Studios in Seattle

“Marooned” opens up an album by Brian Ledford, a powerful portrait of Americana roots rock that paints a story of finding the meaning of life, through travel and time.

The Truth and Love is a feel-good album that blends the grainy, soulful, raw passionate vocals of Ledford, strong storytelling, and a powerful backing group complete with horns.

Ledford fills his songs with passion, lacing each melody with his intricate, subtle phrasing. The title track begins to reveal Ledford’s deep emotional palette, as the songs begin to spell pain and longing. You can certainly sense it in his vocal delivery as he sings, “If that’s the price of love, then please, take it back, cause the truth ain’t worth it anymore.”

“Stones on the Bottom of the Sea” brings the listener to the inner core of Ledford, as the song delivers the goods: great vocals, a great story and a great atmosphere.

This song, perhaps one of the album’s best, truly brings you to the scene, as if Ledford is saving you from the ocean’s wake. Here you’ll find riveting percussion, complete with utterly beautiful cymbals splashing, like the splashing of waves, crashing along the shore. In this song, as throughout the album, you’ll hear the punch and fury of distorted guitars and rolling, droning bass lines. “Please! Someone rescue me from the bottom of the sea,” sings a sad and lonely Ledford.

“Borderline” provides even more depth and atmosphere to Ledford’s overall sound. It further penetrates the listener with whirling Hammond organs and slide guitars – easily giving the song shimmer and shine.

An album detailing happiness, sorrow, fear and conquering fear, The Truth and Love is a perfect concept piece, building character sketches of people traveling far distances to finally sense of glimpse of something special. You’ll hear it in “The Plan (Is Revealed).”

Not all will be able to travel, write, play songs and experience what Ledford has, yet his music will be with us as close as our headsets. And his music can transport us there. (Sound Squared Records)

-Shawn M. Haney
- Shawn M. Haney

Ledford has a unique voice that is a welcome pitch in Americana music. His tone is a bit higher than most but he pulls it off nicely. Truth and Love is a record that has some great blends of good guitar rhythms combined with some very nice horns on a couple of tracks. On others the CD gets downright cosmic in a 60s sort of way. Other tracks have a 70s rock vibe to them. The most notable tunes are “Marooned” and “Judging from a Safe Distance.” If there is any criticism here, it is that a couple of songs drag on and are kind of too cosmic. Other than that this record is a decent listen and anyone will find at least one song here that will turn them on. (KH) - Keith Howerton

(tranlated from the original Flemish)

We have another great musical talent from Seattle, Washington, to present to you. Singer-songwriter Brian Ledford has managed to play himself into the picture – and into our attention- with the ten songs on his newest CD, Truth & Love. The lyrics cover love, life, and everything he’s learned about them in the last few years.

During his high school years he was already musically active as front with ‘The Stilettos’ in his home region of Dallas. Upon deciding to move to Seattle, and after spending some time with the bands ‘3storeyhead’ and ‘Bookstore Robbery’, he decided that the time had come to start off solo. With his high tenor voice and his love for Americana and Texan folk pop it was obvious that this would also be the direction of his first album.

Smart writing and melodious musical arrangements are at the root of the 10 songs on Truth & Love. Pleasantly assisted by sax and trumpet, “Marooned” sets the tone for the rest of the album. Modern pop songs follow each other at a rapid pace, mostly in ballad style and with emotional vocals. Especially memorable is the song “Stones on the Bottom of the Sea”, in which Brian Ledford’s singing is especially accentuated by the subtle and etheric sounds. ’Borderline’ is yet another sensually delivered pedal steel ballad with a soft touch of country, and another excellent vocal presence. For us this was by far the best song on this generally quite beautiful disc.

May it be clear that the softer songs on the album are also the strongest ones, especially after listening to ‘The Plan (is Revealed)’, ‘Sensible’ or ‘Back and Forth’. The pace of these tracks moves up – though still remaining quite far away from true rock – when moving into ‘The Truth and Love’ and ‘Anywhere You Go’. Strong guitar rock is only served in ‘Judging from Safe Distance’.

The illustrational closer ‘Sun Down’ perfectly summarizes the environment in which this disc is best listened to: slowly entering darkness with a subtle layer of sunset on the horizon. That, and your true love under the arm and a glass of chilled wine at an arm’s length.

Truth & Love from Brian Ledford is an absolute recommendation for the romantic souls amongst us, but also for people that just enjoy some good laid back music.’
- Valère Sampermans