Hold Time

M. Ward turns in a star-studded set that feels at once a logical progression from 2006’s "Post-War" and a step closer to that all-out classic his preceding suggests; an assimilation and appropriation of American blues, gospel, country and folk as lovingly, winningly relayed as we’ve come to expect from the Portland-based troubadour.

Hold Time exists not simply as a vehicle for the rehash of rock 'n' roll blueprints, but as the highway on which to drive home his acute pop-rock songwriting. Mar 2009, p.107]

Hold Time marks Ward's third, and best chance to skip the three-peat pattern for sneaking under the radar with his name near the top. [Winter 2009, p.92]

Another feather in his crowded cap, Hold Time is further proof that Ward provides a powerful jolt to what might otherwise be a tired genre.

His latest disc could be his best yet.

The album's leitmotif is a lush, dreamy string sections, which bring a gorgeous poignancy not only to the metaphysical songs, but also his radical reworkings of a pair of '50s rockers. [Mar 2009, p.81]

This is music that can reach anyone from a performer that could be, amazingly enough, just hitting his stride.

Hold Time will do little to entice listeners for whom Matt Ward's sepia-tone charm holds no sway, but for fans who have enjoyed the ride thus far, this looks like the sunniest stretch of road yet.

The album could serve as an excellent point of entry for a new crop of fans.

The indie troubadour spins out his trademark blend of vintage country-folk that begs to be played on an old turntable and heard through the screen door. Fortunately, great music transcends its medium.

Enter deal-breaking title-track ‘Hold Time’, which is (and let’s not understate things here) a career-defining ballad even on its own, masterfully striking “You were beyond comprehension tonight/But I understood...”

While its thoughtfulness prevents it from getting carried away with itself--he's not exactly doing the can-can here--there is a definite sense of optimism and personal brightness radiating from all four corners of this record. It will be a difficult one to top.

Bringing out the too-often buried pop nuances of his stylish songs and new inventions from his under-rated guitar work, it's a stylistic cloth that Ward seems very comfortable wearring. [Mar 2009, p.111]

Hold Time is a wonderful, wistful collection of songs from an artist who has really started to hit his stride.

His music makes you think slowly, all the better to ponder the ample fruits of this profound album. [Winter 2009, p.76]

Hold Time cements his status as one of America's best roots songwriters. [Mar 2009, p.105]

His latest album, Hold Time, is as finely wrought and thoroughly affecting an indie effort as 2009 is likely to see.

The details sometimes outshine the songs: Lyrics about love come off as worn, and lyrics about God seem lifted from Sunday school.

It takes a minute for the standouts here to stand out, but it's an enjoyable wait.

Behind the flourishes, Ward sounds as moony as ever, singing beautifully sad songs about mortality and feeling lonesome.

Ward still sounds most himself when he gets lost in his own world.

Ultimately, Hold Time could have undoubtedly benefitted from some more stringent self-editing, not-so top-heavy sequencing and greater deliberations over the guest list, to make it stand-up as tall as its more meticulously-framed predecessors. Nevertheless, this is still another reliably robust M Ward record with much to recommend itself, especially to the previously-converted.

The music here speaks for itself, whatever else Ward might be trying to say through it.

Hold Time is an enjoyable, well-constructed album, and as good a place as any for newcomers to start--it just doesn't hold many surprises.

Too many of Hold Time’s tracks fail to leave an impression, blending into one another.

Yet for all the vintage analog atmosphere, the Portland, Ore., songwriter's sixth album continues to expand his Americana template with more of the classic AM pop sensibilities shown on 2006's "Post-War" and flooding last year's Zooey Deschanel collaboration, "She & Him."

These new songs have lofty melodic ambitions but aren’t dedicated to the kind of journeying Ward’s lyrics imply.