Review: Hadyn Ward’s Suitcase

Hadyn Ward
Suitcase
Independent

Hadyn Ward is a singer/songwriter from Albany who has truly lived the journeyman-armed-with-an-acoustic-guitar life. It gets romanticised, but there are many lonely country miles to be lived in those shoes, and the title track of his newly released EP spells out the story of that musical life.

The song Suitcase features a world-weary vocal from Ward, but it is tinged with hope for brighter things and a fondness for the road-travelled existence in the first place: “One of these days I’ll go back home and see my friends and family that I love, but tonight I’m on my own.” His softly spoken-yet-present vocal delivery is intoned over an alt-country backing with an emotive keyboard line, and it’s beautifully thoughtful stuff.

What’s On Your Mind (Albany) is a lively, rootsier take on miles covered both on the road and in life, with a nice tip of the hat to Ward’s hometown as he yearns for the coast. Everyday, meanwhile, showcases more of a pop approach from Ward with a driving bass and a vocal that really opens up to showcase his melodic grit.

Rounding out the diverse take on things, My Poverty takes on a hip-hop feel while referencing Paul Kelly’s How To Make Gravy and giving a shout-out to Kalgoorlie in the process. Far from being tokenistic, Ward’s doing hip-hop his way, driving in the same vehicle but changing the station now and then.

Hadyn Ward plans to have a full album, Alcohol and Bad Company, out by the end of the year. On the strength of this EP release, there’s a lot to look forward to.

BOB GORDON