M WARD レコード& CD

Review: In the bleakest of midwinters M. Ward's re-reading of Billie Halliday's 1958 album, Lady In Satin, wears poignancy on its sleeve, teaching us things can be beautiful again, even if they seem broken. By the time she made the record, Halliday had damaged her voice through alcohol and drug abuse, but her efforts were still mesmerising (albeit somewhat divisive). Now, more than 50 years on, a man with a larynx at the softer end of the spectrum takes on that playlist, reordering and rethinking in the process.

Save for 'The End of a Love Affair' all the parts of Halliday's masterpiece are here, but they sound resolutely different. Not least far quieter. Passion runs throughout, indicative of Ward's deep love for the source material and the emotional quality that pervades all his work. Instrumentally, it's no less committed, throwing all manner of unusual chord progressions and riffs our way via irregular tuning techniques. A stunning record that's testament to coverer and covered alike.