Marc Ford could be considered the epitome of a journeyman rocker. As a member of an A-list rock band (The Black Crowes), a hired hand (given his work with Ben Harper, The Jayhawks, The Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers etc.) and as a highly accredited producer (with credits that include Ryan Bingham and the Pawnshop Kings among others), he’s made his name mostly in the company of others. On the other hand, his output as a solo artist are admittedly fewer and far between. Happily then, his new effort, The Vulture, puts his name where it deserves to be, on top of the marquee but, in a real sense, it’s actually marking the debut of his new band, The Neptune Blues Club, a gritty combo that costars as the Crazy Horse to his Neil Young. The songs follow suit, whether it’s raging rockers like “Devil’s in the Details,” “Shalimar Dreams” and “This Ride” or the ragged and relentless “Arkansas Gas Card” or a tenderhearted love song, “Girl of Mine.” Ford and friends have good intents—“All You Need to do Is Love” steadfastly conveys the theme reflected so earnestly in its title—but the frayed arrangements effectively affirm the intent in their designs. That’s the way it should be because, if Ford is anything, he’s relentless to the core.