I Sincerely Apologize For All The Trouble I've Caused  (Audio CD) 
by David Ford

On his assured debut, David Ford serves up folk-pop with punk attitude. In other words, the instrumental backing may be acoustic, but the lyrics are as caustic as they are confessional. Three tracks, "State of the Union," "Katie," and "Cheer Up (You Miserable F**k)," can't even be played on the radio--in their unedited form, at any rate. Released to wide acclaim in the UK in 2005, Ford wrote, performed, and produced I Sincerely Apologize for All the Trouble I've Caused. He even shot the videos. Granted, there are a few guests: Franco Bidanco (saxophone), Frances Law, and Ford's football club, Team Sundry (backing vocals). The rest is all David, who has a way with self-deprecation and a soothing voice that reveals a trace of a Sussex accent. In "I Don't Care What You Call Me," he laments, "I am unforgivable." On "Katie," it's "I'm so dumb." He has choice words for old lovers, too, like "I know I let you down/and Christ, you let me know/every time/and time again" ("I Don't Care"). The results lie between fellow Brits Badly Drawn Boy and label mate Aqualung, with whom he has shared the stage. I Sincerely Apologize may not exactly be a day brightener, but it's a cathartic listen for anyone who's ever wronged or been wronged--and who hasn't been on one side or another of that equation? --Kathleen C. Fennessy