Tony Ford & Lindsay Gella - Echoes of 852

Tony Ford & Lindsay Gella

Echoes of 852
self-released; 2018

​3.7 out of 5

By Vidal Granandos

The Americana singer/songwriter duo of Tony Ford and Lindsay Gella has been creating music together for the last three years. Before that, Ford had played with the rock band The Long Shots and acoustic vocal duo Willow Road. Gella wrote and performed music in Minneapolis before teaming up with Ford in the fall of 2015. In October 2016 the Minneapolis group released their EP Southeast Avenues with LSRS Records. After the EP, they worked on their full-length album Echoes of 852 with help from local musician Casey Frensz contributing both music and production and mastered by Tyler Redmann.

With Ford on harmonica and Gella on acoustic guitar, Echoes of 852 opens with the folk song “Wishin’ Well.” It’s an easygoing song. The follow track is the smooth “Autumn Blues,” the only song written by both Ford and Gella. It is the best song on the whole album. With just an acoustic and harmonica accompanying her, Gella’s voice is both sweet while still being a rugged blues song.

“L ‘Etolle du Norte” is Ford’s love letter sent from Southern California to Minneapolis. “So I’m going home to Minnesota, where I’m from. / Feeling like the new kid in town. / I’ll show you where the best families are found.”

“What to do Wednesday” is another strong performance from Gella. With an introduction from Ford’s howling harmonica, Gella’s harmony vocals play off her acoustic guitar very well. “Weep Me Away” is a tender song of a breakup where both artists give their points of view about the separation. Surprisingly, this is one of the only songs where the duo both gets a verse. Up until then each song were performed solo or Gella singing backup in the chorus, making Echoes of 852 feel like two separate albums.

​Echoes of 852 is a pleasant album to play on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The folky, small town sound the pair brings is nice and simple: acoustic guitar, harmonica, and strong vocals from both musicians. However the majority of songs are performed solo with the order going Ford, Gella, Ford, Gella. By the time you hear them sing together you kind of wish they had made more songs that way or even a duet. It makes the albums feel a little disjointed. And with Lindsay Gella's solo songs sounding more defined, I can see a solo project working as well.

Overall, there is a lot to appreciate from his duo. Make sure to take a listen.

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