By Oli Heffron

Jordan Ward’s voice sneaks up on you. On his debut mixtape Valley Hopefuls, the St. Louis-turned-San Fernando Valley singer seduces the listener into a calming state with delicate control over his soft vibrato and minimalist instrumentals before unleashing the full spectrum of his voice’s power. The mixtape’s opener “OkOk” establishes the project’s relaxing, meditative tone, and is the perfect song to accompany a summer-day by the pool.  The video reflects the song’s energy through the intoxicatingly carefree choreography Ward and his friends dancing in the street and lamping in the backyard. Ward’s lyrics are refreshingly humble, painting a portrait of inner-peace and relaxation without the prerequisite of wealth and status but instead love and compassion. “Holdin Me Back” is a standout example of Ward’s ability to build a mellow r&b song to a soulful crescendo over a soothing instrumental built around a deep-space chord progression, in which the singer laments the binds of a broken-relationship. The video reflects this comedically in the enormous, patched-together teddy bear Ward carries like an unbearable backpack. Ward’s most impressive vocal-performance maybe his undeniably-catchy melody on “San Diego,” a track whose slow-building retro-synth layers, 80’s drum machine, and deeply romantic lyrics create a timeless portrait that could have been used during the climax a pre-Scientology John Travolta movie. The song displays a glimpse of Jordan Ward’s potential, a talented artist with a unique perspective on the beauty of humility and acceptance. During such tumultuous times, it’s important to leave time to meditate on life’s simple blessings, and there’s not a better project to do that to than Jordan Ward’s Valley Hopefuls, making him our Dangerous Artist of the Week.