| Artist | M. Ward |
|---|---|
| Cover | Album_cover_of_Think_of_Spring_by_M._Ward.jpg |
| Released | December 11, 2020 |
| Genre | Folk |
| Label | Anti- |
| Prev year | 2020 |
| Next year | 2023 |
Think of Spring, released in 2020, is the eleventh studio album by singer-songwriter M. Ward. The album is a tribute to Billie Holiday’s 1958 album Lady in Satin.[1][2]
Think of Spring includes all the tracks from Lady In Satin except for Glad to Be Unhappy and The End of a Love Affair and includes All The Way, which was recorded by Holiday and released on her 1959 album Last Recording.[3]
Background
Ward began listening to Holiday's music at an early age but first heard Lady in Satin at the age of 15 playing in a shopping mall.[4] Her voice sounded to him like "a beautiful perfectly distorted electric guitar—some other-world thing floating there on this strange mournful ocean of strings". He later described the experience to be dream-like.[3]
Ward had been working on a tribute to Lady in Satin for quite some time but was able to finish it in 2020 from home after his planned world tour was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] All the songs were recorded on a Tascam Portastudio four-track cassette recorder that he had purchased at the age of 15. The analog recording technique was intended to give the album a personal sound.[6]
Many of the songs were recording using alternate guitar tunings.[3]
References
- ^ Pfeiffer, Sacha (December 26, 2020). "M. Ward's New Album Offers His Take On Billie Holiday's 'Lady In Satin'". NPR. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
- ^ Lopez, Julyssa (December 18, 2020). "M. Ward: “Think of Spring”". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (December 11, 2020). "Think of Spring". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
- ^ Browne, David (February 1, 2021). "M. Ward on Why Billie Holiday Endures". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
- ^ Chiu, David (17 December 2020). "M. Ward On The Billie Holiday Record That Inspired His New LP". Forbes. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
- ^ Reed, Conner (December 3, 2020). "M. Ward on His New Billie Holiday Tribute Album Think of Spring". Portland Monthly. Retrieved May 11, 2026.