American singer / songwriter M. Ward has an eccentric penchant for the American show music of the 1940s and 1950s with elements of early rock 'n' roll, swing, folk and country & western. Hold Time is his seventh album. On this he gives again, with covers and own compositions, his own spin on long-gone radio music. He does not bring those days back, but rather regrets their transience with gently
… shuffling rhythms, rippling acoustic guitars and his dark velvet, veiled voice. The crystal clear production and balanced arrangements sometimes remind you of the perfect pop with a twist of Prefab Sprout. But only halfway through the record, When americana diva Lucinda Williams hooks up with her broken voice on a primal slow and dark version of the bluegrass classic Oh Lonesome Me, sincere emotion also sets in for the first time. Furthermore, Hold Time lingers a little too much in style and mannerisms with Ward as a gloomy sulking nostalgic. (MR)more
