To paraphrase ultra-syndicated humorist Dave Berry on the subject of writing, the most important step a writer has to take is to fool his or her publisher into believing that what they have submitted to them has never before been published. Changing the title is a good start. Willa Ford did alter the title, and subsequently came up with what is very likely a catchier one, but the infectious hook that is buried underneath and around “A Toast to Men” is actually an old sorority chant. Take that as you may, but the fact remains that it was a preexisting melody that has now been transformed into a pop song. It’s not exactly groundbreaking, it’s not particularly brilliant, but it’s not exactly unheard of either. Ford makes up for it in some form or another in the fact that she produced the record herself, arranging all of the strings and singing all of the backup vocals. The results aren’t stellar, to say the least, but with a work ethic as such, she’s likely to press on, and eventually she’s going to run out of sorority chants, right? From Lava Records ( www.lavarecords.com). —Lance Walker
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