New album reviews: M. Ward gets moody, Wild Feathers are tamed

M. Ward, "More Rain" (Merge)

In his capacity as Zooey Deschanel's helpmate in She & Him, Matt Ward is responsible for more than his share of musical sunshine. Fair enough, then, that on his eighth solo album, the guitarist and producer — who oversaw gospel great Mavis Staples' new "Living on a High Note"— tends toward the gray and drizzly. "More Rain" is a musical mood piece that throws an overcast spell on a set of 11 originals and one cover — of the Beach Boys' normally sunny "You're So Good to Me" — that demonstrates Ward's way with vintage rock, folk and R&B atmospherics.

With his mild-mannered vocalizing, Ward can tend toward the snoozy, to be sure: The vaguely doo-wopish "I'm Listening (Child's Theme)" might put you and your baby to sleep. But the likes of the subtly rocked-out plea "Time Won't Wait" and garage-gospel "I'm Going Higher" show off Ward at his most engagingly good-natured and musically assured, while contributions from pals such as Neko Case, Peter Buck and k.d. lang show that even when Ward is on his own, he works well with others.

dan deluca, Philadelphia Inquirer

Wild Feathers, "Lonely Is a Lifetime" (Warners)

Maybe the Wild Feathers aren't so wild after all. The Nashville quartet's debut was a raucous Americana affair — part Southern rock swagger, part alt-country cool. For its sophomore outing, the band is far more focused and radio-friendly. And there is no shortage of radio-ready tracks here. "Sleepers" channels early Coldplay with its chiming guitar and massive chorus, creating a multi-format singalong. The way Taylor Burns, Ricky Young and Joel King share vocals on "Leave Your Light On" calls to mind recent Goo Goo Dolls hits.

However, the Wild Feathers expand their sound in other directions as well on "Lonely Is a Lifetime." The title track, with its sweet harmonies and spare instrumentation, gives the album some artistic heft, while the carefree "Happy Again" is alt-country that's shaggier than ever, as if it leapt off Wilco's genre-defying debut. "Overnight," the album's first single, directs that energy in a catchier rock direction, showing how the band is ready to forge its own path with all its new influences in tow.

Jeff Buckley, "You and I" (Columbia/Legacy)

Buckley's talent was to find the heart of a song as he swooped in and out of the melody, using his multi-octave range, his whisper-to-a-scream dynamics and his extreme shifts in tempo to turn a song into an emotional journey. On "You and I," a collection of 1993 solo studio recordings made before his debut album, Buckley sounds like he's finding his way but hasn't quite determined his best paths through the eight covers and two originals.

An early version of "Grace" and a tentative sketch of "You and I," a song Buckley never finalized before he drowned in 1997, are revealing as studies in his creative process. The covers range widely, from a perky version of Sly and the Family Stone's "Everyday People" to an energetic take on Led Zeppelin's "Night Flight" to two earnest Smiths songs. The choices offer fans insight into Buckley's influences, but there's nothing here as fully realized as his definitive cover of "Hallelujah."

Steve Klinge, Philadelphia Inquirer

Primal Scream, "Chaosmosis" (Ignition)

Matt James, popmatters.com

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• Kris Allen, "Letting You In"

• Redfoo, "Party Rock Mansion"

• Grant-Lee Phillips, "The Narrows"