Although he's been compared to everyone from John Fahey to Tom Waits to Howe Gelb, with Hold Time, it's clear that M. Ward, with his brilliant guitar playing and innate sense of melody, is one of those rare and special talents who defy comparison and compartmentalization. His deft guitar picking, bar room piano, and voice like drizzled honey make him a huge favorite of music critics and the focus of public praise from such disparate talents as Norah Jones and Oasis' Noel Gallagher.