Transistor Radio:M. Ward

Title: Transistor Radio

Label: Merge

Genre: singer/songwriter

Rating: 6 of 7

I could easily spend this entire review name dropping all of the people that M. Ward has collaborated over the last few years… for instance, he was originally part of Rodriguez; for the last year he has been on the nationally acclaimed “Songwriters Tour” with Conor Oberst and Jim James (My Morning Jacket); he played guitar for Bright Eyes live band at 2004 Coachella’s festival, MoveOn’s Vote for Change tour with REM and Bruce Springsteen, and on “The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn;” he’s been covered by Grandaddy, Cat Power and Giant Sand; and gets some help on this album from Vic Chesnutt, Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley, the Postal Service), Rachel Blumberg (the Decemberists), and Jim James among others. Well now you know who he’s hanging around with, but what does he sound like? Sort of a mysterious troubadour, Ward creates delicate melodies on his acoustic guitar and sings with honeyed vocals that are as sweet as they are sincere. Transistor Radio is the perfect title for this album, because it has that classic, yesteryear sound to it. Everywhere his name appears next to Oberst, but the two are quite different, save the soft complimentary sounds that surround M. Ward and his lonely guitar.

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