M. Ward – “Hold Time”

Rating: 7/10

Things are hangin’ low and lazy on Californian singer-songwriter M. Ward’s latest effort “Hold Time.” Hot on the tail of last year’s collaboration with actress Zooey Deschanel under the guise of “She & Him,” the troubadour follows it up with a familiar sounding travelogue through traditional American genres, including folk, blues and country.

Despite the fact that M. Ward rarely steps out of his comfort zone, “Hold Time” still contains some of the most pleasant sounding tunes of any album this year. On stripped down, folkier numbers such as opener “For Beginners” and the simply gorgeous “One Hundred Million Years,” Matt Ward fashions himself as something of a modern day indie rock Cat Stevens, delivering lilting acoustic pop with his candy-coated voice and the sparest of arrangements.

The fuzz and tempo are kicked up just a tad on the jauntier cuts, including “Never Had Nobody Like You,” which hilariously, and — I hope — purposefully, cops the instantly recognizable drum beat from Gary Glitter’s “Rock & Roll, Pt. 2,” and “Rave On,” a bluesy shuffle about love just spreading its wings. The reverb-drenched slide guitar on the latter lends a sublime touch.

Ward keeps the mood mostly upbeat and vaguely spiritual, touching on his Catholic upbringing in at least two songs. One of which, “Blake’s View,” finds him falling flat on his face with an awkward metaphor relating the metaphysical to the musical (“birth is just a chorus, death is just a verse”).

Other times, when he doesn’t have anything particularly meaningful to sing about (“Jailbird”), it can be hard distinguishing between Ward and other, more inane folk and blues pop artists like Jack Johnson or John Mayer. It’s a slippery slope.

Still, “Hold Time,” while not ruffling any musical feathers with its focus on Americana, is some of the best music of its type you’ll hear for at least another couple months.