For one who has been so productive since the release of his debut album in 1999 it is a bit of a surprise to learn that More Rain has been four years in the making. As well as the eight albums he has made as M Ward, there's the five he's released with Zooey Deschanel under the She & Him moniker, as well as an album with supergroup Monsters of Folk, and various guest spots and production duties, including recently for Mavis Staples.

While his previous album A Wasteland Companion was an introspective affair, musically and lyrically, the original template for More Rain was that it would be a doo-wop set, whereby Ward would pare down his music to just voice and guitar, and really get into those harmonies. But for one reason or another the music developed into largely typical band arrangements, with the help of collaborators such as R.E.M's Peter Buck, Neko Case, k.d.lang and The Secret Sisters. But, there is still some doo-wop in there in a couple of places, whilst the overall feel is one of that timeless rock'n'roll sound he has made his own. And, as usual, he's drenched his vocals and guitars in reverb and the recording, as he has always done, was made on analog. More than ever though he is using his voice, and those of others, layering up here and there, in trying to create "unusual harmonies", as he has put it.

Ward has said that this album was inspired by his morning ritual of reading The New York Times and the seemingly constant onslaught of bad news, and dealing with that. Perhaps it's not surprising that there is an air of 'let's stay indoors' gloom starting proceedings, with the sound of pouring rain, before it segues into the gently acoustic strumming of 'Pirate Dial', one of a number of songs here that disregards the 'bad news' in documenting Ward's essential humanity. As does the playfully nostalgic look back of 'Girl From Conejo', that recalls several characters and places from Ward's past. And then there's Ward's cover of the breezy Beach Boys song, the feel-good 'You're So Good To Me', one of those countless sixties songs about love and happiness. It's not all gloom, see.

Meanwhile, the beautifully written 'Confession' features some sweet twanging guitar, harmony backing vocals and an uplifting mariachi style trumpet solo, in this moralistic tale of fessing up, when confessing is all that is left to do, no matter how small or seemingly irrelevant the matter in hand may be. As a companion piece, inadvertently or otherwise, the follow up song 'I'm Listening' is presented from the other side, Ward gently intoning that he is listening, amidst the dreamy vibes, and languid bass. Ward's homespun philosophising also comes through well on the lap-steel infused, almost Lennonesque 'Phenomenon': "If you can't talk to your friends about it, to a stranger it's strictly taboo / But know what you believe, man, if somebody asks you, all you tell them is the truth / That's how I believe in you." And on the doo-wop, and carefree 'Little Baby', Ward tells it like it is for any newborn, unencumbered by human weaknesses and foibles: "Everything's old in the world, except for the baby. Nothing the sun hasn't seen except for the baby."

It's good to hear Ward rock out a little, something he can seem reluctant to do on previous albums. But here, as on the rocking 'Temptation', it sounds like a man unchained, aided in good measure by the Rickenbacker work of Peter Buck, and a twanging lead motif. Then there's a little chugging old school T-Rex style glam on 'Time Won't Wait Up', Neko Case on glorious backing vocals, Ward romping it up on piano.

Mixing age-old nostalgia, love, and loneliness, with some everyday philosophical tales, Ward's reputation as a modern day bard my be a little too much, but there's no doubting there is high regard for his music and lyricism, one that imparts a gentle, easy-on-the-ear, uncontroversial wisdom, all soaked through with rich, reverb-smothered tones and a general air of life-affirming gestures.

Jeff Hemmings

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