source: David Ford's Facebook page

I know it's Monday, but cheer up, buttercup. We've got a happy little diddy called "Pour A Little Poison" by David Ford today. It's an odd mix of country music and ... ska? I don't think it has anything ska about it, but his gritty voice reminds me of the likes of The Offspring and, like, Puddle of Mudd.

There might be an explanation for that -- David Ford is actually from England. In "Pour A Little Poison," he namedrops a bunch of Southern states, calling Maryland "Mary-land." There is something off about Ford's brand of country music, something English about it even before I realized he was English. It's slightly reminiscent of the folk, almost bluegrass, music that's been coming out of England over the past few years, like Mumford & Sons. This all just points to the ever-satisfying idea that all musical genres are just part of one big melting pot, and will borrow from other genres until there are distinctive elements, but not genres. World peace, on a micro scale, if you will.

David Ford started out playing indie rock music, and quite successfully through 2004, when his group Easyworld split up and he decided to go solo. As a solo artist, he's released four albums in 8 years, and his latest, "Charge," was produced by James Brown, the producer behind The Foo Fighters ... which might explain why there are some alternative/ska elements in "Pour A Little Poison." But the rest of "Charge" isn't particularly country-tinged (it's actually quite eclectic and schizophrenic), which makes the release of "Pour A Little Poison" extra peculiar. But hey, world peace -- one song at a time, right?