Transfiguration of Vincent by M. Ward

Transfiguration of Vincent, M. Ward's third studio album, came out on Merge Records in 2003, and its title does double duty: it nods to John Fahey's 1965 album The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death, and it honors Vincent O'Brien, a dear friend of Ward's, looking back over how he lived and how he died.

That gives the record its ache. The Glendale, California singer-songwriter works in a dusty, analog blend of folk and blues, all worn acoustic guitar and a voice that sounds like it's drifting in from an old radio, and the grief here never tips into melodrama. "Let's Dance" is the track that found its way onto the countdowns. Transistor Radio came next.

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