For lovers of blues rock, ZZ Ward is most likely a name you’ve heard of. The critically-acclaimed, soul-stirring singer-songwriter hit the ground running with her debut LP Til The Casket Drops in 2012 — and never looked back. Now signed to Sun Records, with several studio albums under her belt, ZZ Ward drops her first full-length with the label entitled Liberation… and it more than lives up to its name.
Loaded with boot-tappin beats and greasy riffs, ‘Liberation’ might just be the best blues you’ve heard all year.
Growing up the daughter of a bluesman, ZZ Ward has crafted her sound around her roots while borrowing influences from the greats. We’re talking the soulful chanteuse style of Nina Simone meets Muddy Waters. The Howlin’ Wolf of our day and age, sung with the power of Big Mama Thornton.
“Signing with Sun Records felt serendipitous,” ZZ reflects. “Howlin’ Wolf recorded for Sun! It was the perfect alignment for me to truly embrace my identity as a blues artist.” And embrace she did. Liberation is a 14-track masterpiece of declarative self-identity, centering around the transition into recent motherhood. “I didn’t plan to make a blues album about motherhood, it just sort of happened naturally,” ZZ shares. “I’ve always written to get through things in life. Suddenly, I was faced with a new job that’s 24/7 with no breaks, and that’s what I wrote about. But when you get tested, you discover who you are, and this album comes from a feeling of empowerment.”
And you can feel the trials and tribulations of a major life change from the first track.
Entitled “Mother”, ZZ welcomes listeners in with belted lyrics over bluesy piano, asking what you’d learn of her with “24 hours”. In that time, you’d probably realize the unwavering commitment ZZ has made to her newborn, sacrificing relationships and self as a result. Track two, albeit upbeat, is a Delta blues, jazzy recounting of someone that left ZZ by the wayside and “never said a word”. Track three emphasizes this abandonment meets empowerment paradigm, with muted horns softening the reality of doing it all on your own. Whether or not that is ZZ’s intention (or actual situation) is secondary to the raw emotion that can be felt as things change quickly in one’s life.
The rest of the album has ups and downs, twists and turns of the good, the bad, and beautiful of authentic expression. From winning at womanhood to woefully baring her soul, ZZ Ward does it all in Liberation — and then some. Be sure to add this album to your summer soundtrack while chilling poolside on a hot day and check out the links below for more ZZ Ward.
ZZ Ward – “Love Alive”
Track listing:
- Mother
- My Baby Left Me
- I Have No One
- Cadillac Man
- Love Alive
- Naked In The Jungle
- Liberation
- Lioness
- Grinnin’ In Your Face
- Dust My Broom
- Sinner’s Prayer
- Something You Got
- Clairvoyant
- Next To You
Stream ‘Liberation’ on Spotify:
Cover photography by Charlie Ward
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Disclaimer: All views presented in this album review are those of the reviewer and not necessarily those of Top Shelf Music.
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