That nostalgic sound is not only reminiscent of the many classic artists that defined modern music, but also of a recording medium now obsolete and almost forgotten—analog.
Hallmarked by two inch recording tape, and with a predilection towards a 1930s Robert Johnson-styled blues record, it’s apparent that California native singer/songwriter M. Ward knows those classic sounds of the analog era best. Ward’s bluesy stance and folksy rhythms sound right at home on his seventh album Hold Time, where he blends a timeless strategy of soulful melodies submerged nicely in his peerless enigma.
Ward has had a steady climb to success over the past decade lending his efforts to Cat Power, Bright Eyes, and My Morning Jacket among other artists. His cult status has been gradually breached since 2006 with his release of Post War, which addressed America’s situation after the military actions in Iraq and was doted on by Oasis front-man Noel Gallagher as one of the best albums he’d heard.
Hold Time, however, shines in a new and different light. From the first breath of the Simon and Garfunkel ode “For Beginners,” it’s clear that Ward is onto something special—churning creative tales from his own “Mount Zion” as mentioned in the song.
Styled in a natural and gentle way, Ward is less pushover and more a wise, free spirit as in “Never Had Nobody Like You,” where he comes to terms with his own growing up through a Beatles “Revolution” guitar fuzz—“I watched my old habits die and it was painful/ Sometimes is painful in the light of the truth.”
“Jailbird” is rustic and laid back, painted in a warm guitar groove that is unmatched after the first snare drops. Ward’s lyrical vision is gripping as he croons, “Save my soul before they lay my old body down/ It’s nothing but skin and bones, hiding under a dead man’s clothes/ Six feet deep in a black box under ground.”
Ward’s guitar playing and haunting vocals verge on mastery throughout Hold Time. “Rave On” enjoys a solid, inviting strum-along with ambient chorus vocals that induce a tranquil state. “One Hundred Million” is yet another track led by Ward’s vocal ease and a bluesy guitar stutter that is perfect canvas for his moving metaphor—“This love, this life between you and I is older than that burning ball of fire up in the sky.”
The fourteen tracks on Hold Time are as diverse as a road trip across the country and are all bound by a welcoming force that aids each song in telling its own unique story. M. Ward not only invokes his predecessors with his reignited analog format, but he also channels many of their mighty energies into a truly outstanding piece of music.
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