Having decided that I was in the mood to cruise though some recent Americana / Folk releases I came upon this album from Mike Ward that was just dropped at the beginning of the month.  The twelve songs that I heard were quite remarkable, both in their lyrics / message and composition.  Ward is a straight-forward storyteller with a clear voice and the ability to distill large ideas into heartfelt songs.   I was especially impressed with the hopeful message that he manages to convey even when it is wound up in songs about difficult subjects.  

“Left To Ourselves” comes in on a muted acoustic guitar that is picked up by a nice mandolin melody line.  Those two instruments are prominent throughout and provide a peaceful vibe supported by a subtle piano and some soft percussion that it took me a few minutes to sort out.  There is a nice bridge that kicks the beat up for about twenty seconds before transitioning back again.  This song, which for me has a message of “give your better nature the first chance” is a notable composition and worth a listen.  

Musicians on this are: Mike Ward (acoustic guitar, vocals), Jason Dennie (mandolin), David Roof (percussion and piano).

You can check out more of the music and information on the Bandcamp page https://psychosongs.bandcamp.com/album/the-time-that-remains

Remember to support your local community 🙂 

And please think about purchasing this song after you listen – streaming music does not pay much even times a thousand…

Let me know you think!