Song of the Day: M. Ward - "Let's Dance"

M. Ward's wrapped his third album, 2003's The Transfiguration of Vincent, with a gleaming cover of David Bowie's "Let's Dance".

The spare arrangement of Ward's molasses-coated vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, and a few tinkles of dissonant piano turn Bowie's histrionic disco/R&B hit into an affecting slow dance. Absent the original's harmony choirs, synthesizers and guitar solos, the tune unfolds into a meditation on love and desire. Ward doesn't merely unplug the original—more than that, his reverent treatment gives the song space to breathe and, yes, even tremble like a flower.