女優ズーイー・デシャネルとのデュオ、シー&ヒムとしても活動し、現在までにソロとして7枚のスタジオ・アルバムをリリースしているUS男性シンガー・ソングライター、M・ウォード。そんな彼の、2016年3月に4年ぶりとなる新作。
今作のリリースに際してM.ウォードは、次のように話す。「現代のアメリカにおける最大のミステリーは、新聞の一面を飾る終わりなき訃報をどう受け止めて、それぞれ日々の生活をおくれば良いのか? ということ。我々の脳内のどこかには人類の全景を見る能力があるはずで、そういった意味で音楽は人々(僕自身を含む)を正しい道へ導いてくれると思うんだ」。
前作を発表した4年前に制作を開始したという今作。もともとはドゥーワップをイメージして作られたものの、完成してみたら室内にいるべき雨の季節のアルバム。悪天候の中でも前向きで、同時に過去を反映した内容に仕上がった。前作と比べるとテンポもボリュームもあがり、以前は自分自身の心の内側を外から省みていたのに対し、今作では内から外を見つめている。公開となっている新曲「Girl From Conejo Valley」は、過去にいた場所と、そこで知り合った人々を歌ったノスタルジックなナンバー。なお、アルバムには豪華コラボレーターとして、ピーター・バック(元R.E.M.)、ニーコ・ケース、k.d.ラング、シークレット・シスターズ、NRBQのジョーイ・スパンピナートらの名前があがっている。

発売・販売元 提供資料 （2016/03/07）

Uncut - "Vocals figure more strongly on MORE RAIN than usual, in that Ward's familiar laidback tone gets a more expressive workout and backing singers help shape the songs, rather than just fill out spaces."

Rovi

With his static-dusted voice and predilection for early rock antiquity, M. Ward has always come across as one of his generation's more understated bards. Interpreting the ever-deepening subtleties of his catalog generally requires repeated listens, and such is the case with his eighth solo effort, the appropriately moody More Rain. Easing in with a minute-long rainstorm soundscape, he leads off with the dreamy acoustic gallop of "Pirate Dial," a genial folk-pop hymn perfectly suited for the patient rotations of a vinyl long-player. A stuttering guitar groove on the Neko Case-aided "Time Won't Wait" quickens the album's pulse, setting up the similarly paced lead single, "Confession," a classic Ward track replete with a rich vein of warm backing vocals and soaring trumpet solo. Eerie doo wop vocals adorn the beautiful ballad "I'm Listening (Child's Theme)," then reprise sweetly on the lighter-toned "Little Baby." "Girl from Conejo Valley" seems at first like a fairly straightforward Ward track before the unexpected Moog synth hook in its chorus turns it into the catchiest track on the album. "Temptation" gets some nicely layered guitar thump courtesy of Scott McCaughey and Peter Buck, the latter of whom also adorns the gentle country ballad "Phenomenon" with some crafty mandolin. Ward's occasional tradition of covering a tune from rock's early days continues here as he puts his stamp on the Beach Boys' lighthearted 1964 classic "You're So Good to Me." It's the second time he's dipped into the Wilson brothers' catalog -- he released an instrumental version of Pet Sounds' "You Still Believe in Me" on his fourth LP -- and, though it seems like it ought to come across as some sort of trifling gimmick, there's something about his blend of playfulness and reverence that makes it work. Within Ward's canon, More Rain may not work overtime to distinguish itself, but like nearly all of his releases, it's a companionable listen with a lot of craft hidden under its layers. ~ Timothy Monger

Rovi