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April 6th, 2010
Kristen Ward can’t help but smile when mentioning her co-production effort alongside Seattle producer Brad Zeffren to make her most recent album, “Charles”. The album was recorded entirely in a 70’s era Seattle apartment and was Ward’s first serious recording experience outside of the big studio. “We wanted to do something really different”, she says, “And that’s what we got, a much more intimate record”.
With the exception of a haunting trumpet solo by Billy Joe Huels (The Dusty 45’s), the record was performed entirely by Kristen Ward and Gary Westlake, her right-hand man and beloved guitarist whose credits include work with Peter Frampton, Maurice and the Clichés, Pearl Jam, and Jim Carroll. “The album is a product of my life and could be properly expressed through the very close musical connection I share with Gary”, Ward says. “Gary and I worked on some of those songs for months. Some for years”.
In 2009, Kristen and her band were moving full-steam ahead through the pre-production of “Last Night on Division”, Ward’s much anticipated rock record. The record was to be her third, but things took a sudden turn. Ward shrugs, “ I suppose there were some things I needed to get out. Some things I had to say before I could do a rock record, and I’m glad for it”.
“Charles”, the dreamy and evocative follow-up to Ward’s 2008 sophomore release, “Drive Away”, makes you feel as if you have stepped into a different world altogether. The record channels a certain nostalgia through shimmering acoustic guitars, mandolin and low-twang electric tones. The album’s sparkling centerpiece is undoubtedly Kristen Ward’s voice with all of its power, aching emotion and beauty. The sound is utterly mesmerizing in it’s elegant simplicity. “Charles” is a major artistic step forward for Ward. Powerful themes of love and longing wind together with Ward’s natural and deeply visceral song writing style to create what is the most relevant and important piece to her already powerful musical repertoire.