Fortch released his first CD of original music in the summer of 2009. Fortch -What’s THAT Mean? is a six song album that rocks hard but also includes two heartfelt acoustic ballads. The CD received positive reviews and several tracks were played on local radio. Fortch spent the last two years performing up and down the east coast, writing material for the follow-up, and looking for the right studio and talented musicians to work on the album.
Don’t Quit On Me contains 14 songs, including 13 new originals. The sole cover is a rocked up, 2011 version of the Grass Roots’ 1969 hit, “Temptation Eyes”. Fortch is an observational writer - he looks at situations and internalizes what he sees, resulting in a variety of diverse and interesting songs. These songs may describe fictional events as in “Not Sure that Heaven”, semi-autobiographical stories such as “Mary and Jerry”, or relevant issues that we all face in our current world such as high unemployment, high expectations, but also hope, as reflected in the title track.
Recorded at The Cape Fear Studio in Wilmington, NC, the combination of great writing, a world class band of experienced musicians, and the expertise of JK Loftin as engineer/producer makes Don’t Quit On Me well worth the wait. The songs are mostly upbeat and rocking, with a couple of acoustic tracks and one song which took over 20 years to write – the 7 minute “Listen to the Whispers”.
Don’t Quit On Me is the next artistic step in the growth of Fortch’s writing. There are catchy hooks and intelligent lyrics that tell stories while also exploring some fairly universal themes. In the words of one critic, “Don’t Quit On Me covers a lot of stylistic territory from power rock anthems to quiet waltz vignettes to bluegrass influenced acoustic numbers to bombastic hard rock wailers, and a bit of Louisiana influenced dance material for good measure. But it all stays strongly together as a musical statement that shows Fortch’s depth and breadth as a writer and impassioned performer. It’s a wonderful musical presentation by someone in full control of their creative abilities.”