Customer Reviews

Hold Time

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In a world of Pro Tools and Logic, any wannabe guitarist can pick up the nearest acoustic and strum out a few half-hearted tunes about the allure of the road and their lost love, but few have been able to do it as consistently and as accurately as Portland, Ore.-based wunderkind M. Ward. With a healthy appreciation for his musical roots and a talent for speedy finger picking that calls to mind the greats of his favorite genre, Ward has proven time and again that folk-pop is in no danger of dying out, no more so than on his seventh effort, the superb Hold Time.

Ward's diverse oeuvre is even more striking when you look at the clearly discernable sense of progress he has made over the years, from the lo-fi acoustic wizardry of his debut to his more recent orchestral tapestries. Fresh off his work with actress Zooey Deschanel in the duo She & Him, Hold Time is the logical progression in his work, sounding like a more male-dominated version of She & Him's ode to the soul of the `60s, Volume One. Opener "For Beginners" is a concise bridge into his new work, a deceptively quick guitar melody underlying Ward's roughened vocals. The mellow production and Ward's campfire playing create a song with a sort of timeless quality to it, one that would sound just as home in an old-time western saloon as it does on an iPod's headphones.

The following trio of songs that open the record play like a best-of collection of some unsung folk hero, with the bluesy thump of "Never Had Nobody Like You" and the hypnotic jangle-pop of "Jailbird" leading into the more reflective, sedate title track. Ward's vocals, always a hate-it-or-love-it bone of contention among listeners, has rarely sounded as accessible as it does here, his eternally-stuffy, cracked delivery guiding the songs like a wizened folk patriarch without sounding off-key.

Ward is someone with an appreciation for his inspirations, and the few choice covers on Hold Time do their originals more than sufficient justice. His soft take on Buddy Holly's "Rave On" is buttressed by the charming back-up work of guest Deschanel, and the wisely understated standard "Oh Lonesome Me" pairs Ward with legend Lucinda Williams in crafting an old-time country ballad that fits in well with its Americana surroundings.

But it's Ward's own considerable skills as a songwriter and producer that turn Hold Time into one of his best yet, with tunes like the remarkably catchy "To Save Me" (yes, even Ward is not averse to throwing a synthesizer or two into an album) to the poppy love-letter of "Epistemology," where Ward declares "finally, I found you without ever learning how to / I put the right foot in front of the left" to a blazing guitar riff. The man is a world-class musician, and while his arrangements are often better served under able singer, such as Deschanel, his Dylan-esque vibe and subtle delivery make for a different, albeit entirely enjoyable, experience.

Lyrically, Ward doesn't stray too far from what his predecessors made their fame on, those old musical touchstones of love, death, and everyday life. The nostalgic "Stars of Leo" pines for a country life away from the bustle of the city, while "Shangri-La" welcomes death's embrace as an opportunity to "see the expression on the face of my sweet lord." Lyrics are mostly secondary throughout Hold Time, but that isn't to say they weak. Rather, it is Ward's spot-on delivery that turns these present-day songs into what seem like folk relics.

At fourteen tracks, Hold Time might seem like a bloated record, but aside from one exception, most songs stay around the three-minute mark, and it's a testament to Ward's skills that the record seems much shorter than it actually is. Ward changes things up enough times to avoid becoming complacent, and in every aspect of his work there is the mark of a consummate professional, from the flawless guitar work on nearly every track to his tasteful selection of covers. Hold Time is the kind of record that could match up with its inspirations and fit in right next to them, the highest kind of praise for a man who has carried the folk torch proudly into the new millennium.

M. Ward's sixth album finds him with an increased public profile (having toured with Norah Jones) which of course brings more expectation from fans and critics. But the fact is that Ward hasn't changed his approach a whole lot over the years.

There is a brighter sound on this record that is no doubt a result of his experience and confidence as a producer, both of his own and others' works. The arrangements are more varied and ornate, but he's savvy enough to know that all the sonic bells-and-whistles are no substitute for a good song. The "She & Him" project was obviously a lot of fun, and some of that sense of fun pervades more upbeat songs like "Never Had Nobody Like You." And of course, there's lots of great guitar work, from lovely, intimate solo acoustic moments, to the fretwork fireworks on "To Save Me."

But above all, there are still a handful of truly great songs, which seem to come from the mists of time, bridging Tin Pan Alley, backporch Americana, and shambling indie rock, where the ghosts of Mississippi John Hurt and John Fahey mingle with contemporary influences and collaborators Vic Chesnutt, Lucinda Williams and Howe Gelb. And there are some that are just merely good, that sound similar to too many other past M. Ward songs, but familiarity, in this case, breeds comfort rather than contempt.

And of course, he is still has a brilliant ear for interpreting the work of others; the airy, delicious cover of Buddy Holly's "Rave On" is, for this listener, the absolute highlight of the record, just as his revelatory cover of David Bowie's "Let's Dance" first demonstrated how effortlessly he can take someone else's song and make it his own.

It may not be his best overall recording, but it still stands head and shoulders above most of what's on offer from today's "popular music" artists. And make no mistake, pop music is what M.Ward is about, just as Irving Berlin, Hank Williams, Lee Hazlewood and Brian Wilson were before him. I'm sure he doesn't mind being in that kind of company.

This is my first introduction to M. Ward. Reading the reviews and listening to samples of other albums, I can see how some might think this is just more of the same - but for me, it's new and fresh and brilliant. By the third time through Hold Time (and it really lends itself to listening all the way through, especially with headphones) I was sold - atmospheric, warm, catchy, intelligent, just a GREAT sound. It's very 'now' yet also timeless, hard to place in any particular era, which makes me think I'll be enjoying this 5, 10, 15 years from now as well.

And for just five bucks (limited offer from Amazon)? No brainer - get it.

This is stop Number Seven on the Ward Highway (if you count "To Go Home") and delivery Number Ten if you count the Monsters of Folk and his two great albums with Zooey. I had the opportunity to hear Matt roll Hold Time out in a concert in Eugene, Oregon and my goodness, what a treat. Gathered around the stage, everyone just got sucked into his soulful vortex as one amazing song after another issued forth. I have long suspected that he was a philosophy major in college (San Luis Cal Poly?) and when he started in on "Epistemology" my wonder turned into near certainty (philosophy majors are never ever completely certain of anything except musical genius when they hear and see it). Who would even know to title a song EPISTEMOLOGY except a philosophy major and who could play an intro guitar riff like the one that begins and ends his lecture on epistemology except a musical genius who continues to evolve and develop as the years and albums go by. So what is this amazing man's theory of knowledge? Ha, I thought you'd never ask: putting one foot in front of the other, doing his very best, and the rest is anyone's guess. Clearly he studied the Zen masters at school and as his musical muse continues to pour forth he just gets deeper and deeper and deeper into a musical journey that promises to find him at the top of the mountain in the end. We also caught him in Portland with the Monsters of Folk where he opened the show with Lotta Losing, jamming in the spotlight on the piano. It was an amazing moment in time. Connor took the mike and thanked Portland for this incredible man, this incredible genius, M Ward and then Matt settled in with 2,000 of his best friends for an unforgetable evening. They played for three hours and it felt like twenty minutes. I learned that being in the presence of a genius like Matt compresses time into a blitz montage experience. You emerge a different person. We also caught him on Austin City Limits where he was his usual amazing self, playijng primarily tunes of Post War. Hold Time is Matt's best album yet and I have said that after each of his previous seven offerings. But truth for telling, his best album is the next one. A genius is a genius and there is "nobody" like Matt, we (the planet) have never had nobody like Matt (yeah, yeah). Nobody. What you need to do is go back to the first offering and work your way through to Hold Time. THE WARD HIGHWAY: It's the greatest novel ever written with many, many more fantastic chapters yet to come. Purity is rarely found in this world and as Matt stumbles along, putting one chord in front of the other, and one meaningful phrase next to the last one, we can only stand in amazement because what is coming next would be anyone's guess. I'll hazzard a guess, what the heck: it will be another dazzling display of soulful genius that just keeps getting deeper and deeper, traveling further and further into the musical muse which is Matt Ward. Watching him in person you can tell he is not impressed at all by himself and he comes across as shy, sincere, and a very quiet and thoughtful man with an incredible sense of humor and ironic insight into the condition of man. A philosopher, yes, with piano and guitar riffs that shake the very foundations of beauty. Matt puts the mystery and magic back into "guessing" what's coming next. I can hardly wait to find out.

I don't remember being particularly overwhelmed by M. Ward's last album, Post War, but apparently teaming up with Zooey Deschanel on 2008's She & Him has sparked something in the guy. Hold Time, his newest release finds the singer/songwriter operating in peak form. His style hasn't changed too much. He still glides through his familiar brand of acoustic folk pop with occasional detours into country and blues, but he sounds confident and energized in his songwriting this time. Just about every song on this set works and lingers with you like the warm glow of the setting sun. It doesn't hurt that Ward brings Zooey in to help out on a couple of songs (I'm already looking forward to She & Him's next album) and it also benefits him when Lucinda Williams drops by to contribute vocals. So far, this is one of the best albums of the young year. I guess M. Ward just needed to find his muse in order to realize his potential.

I love M. Ward -- and this effort is better than most other recent releases by lesser musicians -- but his latest sounds very generic, uninspired and just plain "safe" to me. I give it a tepid 3 stars (after all, it is an M. Ward album), but I think it is his weakest effort by far.

It almost sounds like a parody of himself (similar to how Beck's "Guerra" played like a parody of his excellent "Odelay"). Just compare "Hold Time" to "Transfiguration of Vincent" -- admittedly a tough act to follow -- and the newer one pales in comparison.

For one thing, the production is way too slick and puts too much distance between M. Ward and his listeners. But his covers (including "Rave On") sound more like good karaoke than imaginative recreations, the way his Bowie cover "Let's Dance" really takes hold of the listener and even improves on the original.

I'm underwhelmed, but it's still a decent album.

Discovered M.Ward several years ago. As an old folk music fan, not my normal fare, but found the uniqueness of his songwriting and playing, the amazing rhythm of his band, the sheer beat -- irresistible! His song "Big Boat" on my top ten list, and I am an old guy so have had a long time to create my favorite song list. This CD, not as good as his eariy work and focuses less on his band and more on his own playing. Still, well worth buying, still brilliant.

A unique, genre-less tapestry. Plenty of catchy hooks, interesting chord changes, some non-cliche' rockabilly and substantial emotion. The only number I didn't care much for was the unnecessary Hank William's duet with Lucinda Williams (what's all the hype about her anyway?). Neil Young's version of 35 or 40 years ago on "After The Goldrush" is still better. All in all though, a solid A-.

I love his music. I am a true fan and listen to his music a lot. I hate all other bands he is part of, such as she and him, but I love the music he makes by himself. I don't know why he is wasting his time making music with other bands when his music is so amazing and he puts on fantastic concerts.

M Ward, just focus on making your own music and you will do great.

I've been listening to the album for about a year now and keep coming back to it. Solid songwriting, nice vocals, simple arrangements, enough interest to keep me engaged. Ward's cover of Buddy Holly's Rave On is a favorite, as is Fishers of Men. Never Had Nobody Like You is probably the most recognized track on the album, and it's a solid tune. Overall a nice album to have in your collection.