Matt Ward, the name behind M. Ward, can most aptly be called the king of collaboration. His musical career began in 1999, and since then he has worked with everyone from Bright Eyes to Neko Case to Jenny Lewis. Although still relatively unknown, Ward shot to near fame following a performance on “The Late Show with Craig Kilborn” during which Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes proclaimed “M. Ward for President!”
Shortly thereafter, his heavily politicized album, Transistor Radio, caught the attention of Newsweek. Wisely sticking to the successful, Ward’s next album, Post-War, adheres to his theme of governmental scrutiny. However, seemingly without reason, M. Ward’s 2009 release, Hold Time, strays from the political yet the sound remains the same.
As a whole, Hold Time can be summarized as a balancing act between mellow folksy foot-tapping melodies and the mellowest of melodies, sans foot-tapping. Although musically and lyrically Hold Time leaves little to be desired, the album does have one glaring problem: There is a distinct dichotomy between Ward’s lyrics and the tone with which he sings.
Sadly, this dichotomy pervades throughout and is at times disconcerting. For instance, in “Shangri-La,” Ward mumbles, “I cannot wait to hear/ You call/ My name.” Ward’s enthusiasm is so absent he could just as easily be saying, “Pass the ketchup, please.” It is as if Ward is making a conscious decision to avoid inflection at all costs.
Because of this seemingly purposeful choice, at times, the featured artists’ performances outshine Ward himself. “Oh, Lonesome Me” is a collaboration with Lucinda Williams, who exudes the pain inherent in loneliness far better than Ward. For a song that is so self-pitying, and supposedly heart-wrenching, it is Ward who fails to convince the listener. As later demonstrated, loneliness is not the only emotion with which Ward struggles.
“Rave On” features Zooey Deschanel, otherwise known as the “she” to his “him” in his side project, She & Him. Although Ward sings “I know it’s got me reeling/ When you say ‘I love you’/ I say ‘rave on,'” he sounds more somber than giddy. And while “rave” has many meanings, it is safe to say none of them verge on somber.
“Never Had Nobody Like You,” the other track featuring Deschanel, is one of the album’s obvious strengths. It is delightfully cheeky, yet flawed. Both the sound and Ward’s voice bear a strong resemblance to Johnathan Rice on this as well as the other songs on the album. Yet more specifically, Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward are like a less enamored Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice. Even though Rice emerged in the indie music scene later than Ward, Rice might be vying for his spot as indie folk king — and may potentially succeed.
M. Ward is arguably like a new age Johnny Cash, minus Cash’s remarkable ability to tell stories and convince listeners of the authenticity of these stories with his inflection. Although the lyrics are at times charming, they are rendered ineffectual due to Ward’s emotionless delivery. M. Ward is irrefutably a collaborative king, yet his standalone ability is questionable. Perhaps the songs should instead read “Featuring M. Ward.”
3 stars out of 5.
