Diversity Rules Magazine

Colton Ford's new album, Permission, covers a wide spectrum of narra ves, from lus ul encounters to falling in love, love lost and dealing with infidelity. The compila on of contemporary R&B and Pop songs also carry messages on aging and coming out of the closet. "The album's tle track, Permission, is about being who we are born to be and living authen c lives that do not require anyone's permission but our own," Ford explains. Some of the stories - like "Won't Look Back," a song about a difficult rela on- ship Ford experienced years ago - come directly from Ford's own diary. Others are simply observa onal. Then there are sexy li le romps like "Handle It," the album's first single release, songs that are fun, pro- voca ve and roman c. "'Handle It' is the kind of ooey gooey R&B song that I love," Ford gushes. Producer Spin Sista created the track, hook and first verse. Ford wrote the second verse and bridge, then organized the song and ar- ranged all of his vocals. From there, Spin Sista recre- ated a whole new track and added addi onal back- ground vocals. The song's playfulness is echoed in its video. Filmed at The Barracks and Snap Studios in Palm Springs, the "Handle It" video features the ar st with his real-life porn star friends Drew Sebas an, Mack Aus n and Macho Dog. The men take on the roles of go-go boys at a gay underground nightclub who can't keep their hands out of each other's jocks. "There was intense chemistry between the four of us, and you see it, especially in the explicit version of the video," Ford laughs. Ford contends that the highly sexualized scenes in the video affirm the trend of cross genera onal sexuality. Two of the men, including Ford, are 60, one man is in his for es and the other is in his thir es. "I think it's wonderful that men in different stages of their lives are finding common ground on the dancefloor and in bedrooms," Colton Ford says. "Giving ourselves per- mission to explore ourselves and our lives, including the wonderful experiences we share with others as we move through it, is libera ng! Permission begins with "Don't Stop," a song about a hot and cold, push-then-pull rela onship where one person refuses to commit wholeheartedly to their lover. The second song, "No Time To Waste," is about being in a same-sex rela onship with someone who is struggling to come out. "You (Don't Wanna Wait)" reflects on someone who is eager to take things to the next level and "You Told Me So" is about aging and no longer having the stamina to party all night long. "Handle It" is about sex and hooking up and "Triflin'" is a call-out to dirty players who cheat. The seventh track on the album, "That Don't Make It Right," also ruminates on infidelity, while "Won't Look Back" compels listeners to walk away from dys- func onal rela onships. It leads to the tle track and then "In The Morning," and "Amazing," two love songs, and the final track, "Des ny", about pursu- ing life's dreams and not giving up un l you achieve them. It is a credo that Colton Ford lives every day. He's been making music for four decades. In the 90's, he was signed to Grammy-nominated producer/ songwriter Denise Rich's produc on company, MIDE Produc ons, and had two deals with Vir- gin, the first of which had him paired up with the Godfather of House Music, Frankie Knuckles. 18 |Diversity Rules Magazine | Aug 2023 Colton Ford Releases "Permission" His 5th Studio Album Featuring the Smash Single, "Handle It"

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