Transfiguration of Vincent

Jason Lytle of Grandaddy contributes to the record, and although it sounds very little like that great band, Grandaddy's DIY aesthetic is clearly on display. One song might sound like it has been hastily sung into a scratchy tape recorder in a bedroom, the next like it was recorded in an abandoned church on an ice cold winter's night.

Every song is a charm. Up there with "Feast of Wire" by Calexico and "Cast of Thousands" by Elbow as albums of the year. Please do not hesitate to buy this record.

The melodies within the album maintain the same dreamy stature of his previous efforts whilst still moving forward to encompass slightly more upbeat moods and tempos. Ward’s vocal style can be found somewhere between Tom Waits and Tim Buckley – maintaining the gruffness of the former whilst still being capable of slipping into falsetto with the same skill as the latter. It can take some getting used to but then so do many of the greats.

Following the gentle acoustic instrumental of “Transfiguration #1” is “Vincent O’Brien”, a song which veers dangerously close to rock territory with its Jerry Lee Lewis piano playing and bombastic chorus. From there though Ward takes us into more familiar territory with the bluesy “Sad, Sad Song” and “Poor Boy, Minor Key” where he is assisted by Howe Gelb of Giant Sand. It is interesting that Gelb chooses to assist Ward as they seem to be heading in the same musical direction in their separate projects – simple narratives, stellar guitar-work and a variation in styles that never allows the listener to get bored.

To list all of the songs and their relative merits would take too much space but needless to say the album rarely fumbles, it is consistently great all the way through with a possible highlight being the most bizarre cover of Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” you are ever likely to hear. Ward is an excellent talent and though I would probably advice that “End of Amnesia” is a better place to start than this, there is little doubt that he has repeated the trick with this one. A superb effort and well worth a purchase.

Needless to say it is fantastic. It immediately breached my top 10 albums ever (come on you have a hypothetical top 10 right). Straight in amongst Dylans Blood on the tracks and Blonde on Blonde, Van Morrisons Veedon Fleece, Tom Waits Nighthawks at the Diner, Marlena Shaw's Spice of Life, Blackalicous Nia etc etc (NB:I am not trying to compare any of the above to "Transfiguration")

The album is almost perfect in everyway. The change's in tempo are subtle and compelling. His voice is fantastic and has great range, the guitar playing is delectable throughout and the production effortless.

In terms of the actual songs "Vincent O Brien" rocks, with a great chorus and delicate piano lick, "Sad, sad song" is Tom Waitsesque but more accessible then for instance Bone Machine, "Undertaker" is a delicate folk song with a beautiful falsetto, "Outta my Head" is simply beautiful melody backed with some inventive effects, "Involuntary" is in the vein of "Undertaker" but even more beautiful, "Helicopter" would go down brilliantly with anyone who likes Bright Eyes, because my freinds you will have found a new hero. My personal favourite at the moment is "Poor Boy, Minor Key" which starts with a Billie Holiday esque Piano line before building in to a fantastic blues number. And theres more the rest of the album is fantastic as well. If you doubt any of what I am saying I suggest you sample a couple of tracks on line before buying.