Another side of Colt Ford

February 7, 2015 at 12:05a.m.

A bellwether in country-rap long before Florida Georgia Line and Nelly remixed “Cruise,” Colt Ford decided to spread his wings a bit with his latest album, “Thanks for Listening.”

Specifically, the MC is showing off his melody by singing — not rapping — on some of the tunes.

“You constantly try to evolve as an artist,” said Ford, calling from his Georgia home. “I’m never going to change who I am because that’s what got me where I am. I think you constantly try to paint a different color every time and go, ‘What if I do this?’ Sometimes you try something and think this may be awesome, and it might not work.

“And sometimes you do something that you’re worried about and it turns out being cool. I’m just constantly trying to push myself as an artist but still remain true to who I am. Every song you hear from me, at the end of the day I hope you say, ‘That sounds like a Colt Ford song.’ That’s what I want to do.”

Released last summer, “Thanks for Listening” was a follow-up to 2012’s chart-topping “Declaration of Independence,” which remained on the Billboard Country Album chart for more than 58 weeks.

Not only did the new album debut at No. 2 on the top country album chart, but it boasted a top 40 hit from lead single “The High Life” (with Chase Rice). Sure, one could say the album didn’t sell hundreds of thousands of copies but that’s missing the point with Ford. Pigeonholed in the country-rap genre, he’s fighting an uphill battle.

However, proving how respected Ford is in the industry, that battle includes plenty of Music City names lending their voices to songs on “Thanks for Listening.” There are collaborations with Keith Urban (“She’s Like”), Jerrod Niemann (“Crickets”), Randy Houser (“Washed in the Mud”), Justin Moore (“Farm Life”) and Lee Brice (“Sip It Slow”).

What remains to be seen is whether country radio embraces Ford, who has proved his Music City bonafides by penning No. 1 country hits for Jason Aldean (“Dirt Road Anthem”) and Brantley Gilbert (“Country Must be Country Wide”). Then last summer, Ford hit the road opening up for Toby Keith on his “Shut Up and Hold On Tour,” which came through Northeast Ohio.

“That was huge for me,” said Ford, who returns to the area tonight for a sold-out show at the Dusty Armadillo. “He couldn’t have been more supportive and helpful to me. I look at it like, here’s a guy who did it his way and built his fan base for 27 years, and what a gift he’s given me to stand out in front of these fans. He’s basically endorsing me.

“So I approached it that way, as an honor to play in front of his fans and give me a chance to make them fans of mine. That’s all you can ask for, an opportunity to get out in front of those people and make them your fans. And I’m hoping I did that.”