On a Colt Ford record, pretty much anything goes. That was exactly the case during the making of the singer’s fourth studio album, ‘Declaration of Independence,’ which hit shelves this week.

In a way, Ford kicked it old school with the new record, bringing back an old motto he used when he first hit the music scene with his debut release, ‘Ride Through the Country,’ in 2008: There are no rules.

“I kind of went back to the way I made my first record with this one,” Ford tells Taste of Country of imprinting ‘Declaration of Independence.’ “There wasn’t any rules or anybody who wanted things to be a certain way or it having to be a three-minute song or anything like that. If you’ve ever had any doubt about who I am, what I believe in or where I come from, you won’t after you hear this record. I just think it’s the best thing that I’ve ever done.”

Like with his previous albums, Ford took part in writing all of the songs on the new record, this time collaborating with some of Nashville’s heavyweights like Craig Wiseman, Jeffrey SteeleDavid Lee Murphy and Rodney Clawson. “I got to write with all these unbelievably great songwriters,” notes Ford. “I was as honest and as open as I could possibly be when writing these songs.”

The artists dueting with Ford on ‘Declaration of Independence’ aren’t too shabby, either. “I’ve got a lot of my buddies on there,” Ford explains. “Jason Aldean’s on the record, Kix Brooks is on there, Darius [Rucker] is on the record, Montgomery Gentry … I did a song with Boys II Men on the record, which was really cool. I’m excited about it.”

The music on Ford’s ‘Declaration of Independence’ coincides with his current headlining tour of the same name. Click here for a full list of dates where Ford will be performing soon.

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