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Colton Ford / Singer
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Colton Ford has transitioned from one of the hottest adult porn stars in the industry to an amazing singer and performer. He has recently released his newest album - "Under the Covers"

In addition to speaking to Ford in a very real and personal way, the tracks that comprise "Under the Covers" made a significant impact when they were originally released, and will be immediately familiar to a wide listening audience-even though someone other than the original artist is singing them. Explains Ford, "Adding my interpretation to these songs gives a new perspective to these classic tunes, enabling me to show different sides of my vocal ability."

Ford continues, "When you are covering a hit track, if you can retain the integrity of the original and bring your own style to it in the process, you can reveal something to the listener about you as an artist that perhaps they haven't heard before. This album is also a friendly reminder of just how great these songs were and still are."

"Under the Covers" covers much musical ground and time. At 32-years-old, Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" (re-imagined here as an interlude) is the oldest song in the collection. It is seamlessly situated between R.E.M.'s alternative rock hit "Losing My Religion" and Babyface's R&B chart topper "It's no Crime." Elsewhere, Ford takes on Britney Spears' "Trouble" (a bonus track on the pop star's latest album, "Circus"), which leads into an a cappella snippet of R. Kelly's "It Seems Like You're Ready," followed by the house music anthem/R&B jam, "Follow Me."

Each of Ford's cover versions showcases a singer who is deftly bridging the gap between then and now. Nowhere is this more evident than on his re-workings of Robyn's "With Every Heartbeat," Sade's "By Your Side," Alicia Keys' "No One" and Nirvana's "Lithium." In Ford's hands, "With Every Heartbeat" retains its sublime electro-pop foundation, while "By Your Side" and "No One" take glorious side trips to Spain and Jamaica, respectively. Ford injects the Nirvana classic with ample dance-rock attitude-and even manages to pay homage to Ram Jam's top 20 hit "Black Betty" (released the same year as Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams") along the way.

Throughout, the beats remain feisty and the rhythms taut, with Ford's soulful vocals up front and center. Quentin Harris, who helmed Ford's debut album, 2008's "Tug of War," is but one producer featured on "Under the Covers." A decidedly collaborative project, "Under the Covers" also spotlights the production skills of Matthias "Matty" Heilbronn, Craig C., Whatever Whatever (aka Justin Strauss and Bryan Bette), Lost Daze, Count De Money and others.

For Ford, there is a difference between singing songs made famous by other artists and singing his own original music. However, he clearly states, "When I'm singing, I'm singing. I feel what it is that I'm singing about, and when I sing a song, it's my interpretation of the song, whether I wrote it or not. Now, writing a song adds another layer for me. It's like you're giving birth to something, and are responsible for it's development and growth. That's an awesome process."

Ford lives-and loves-to sing. Whether he's written the track or not, he can only interpret a song the way he feels it. That said, Ford acknowledges that he simply felt his way through the recording process of "Under the Covers." He didn't think about how he would arrange the vocals before going into the studio. Instead, he let the recording process unfold organically.

Now, for those who remain unable to get beyond Ford's porn star past to focus on his singing present (can you say "skeptic"?), Ford has a few words: "I can't control how people feel about me, my past and my music. I have always sung and created music, so I just continue to do what I've always done. My main concern is to make music that I feel and that I'm proud of. The rest is out of my control. I know that there are some people who aren't going to be able to see beyond my porn persona, and that's ok."

Pausing for a moment, he adds, "I feel, however, that there are far more people out there who are interested in hearing what I can do musically, and are able to look beyond that part of my past. Those are the people I'm looking to reach. I'm doing what I love to do, so at the end of the day, I can say that I'm following my heart and living my dream. Isn't that what we all want for ourselves?"