ZZ Ward: Liberation Review

ZZ Ward releases her fourth studio album Liberation on March 14. While this may not seem prolific for an artist whose first album Til the Casket Drops came out over a decade ago, Ward has also sprinkled in multiple EPs and numerous singles over this time. Her second studio album, The Storm peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Blues Albums chart in July 2017 and landed #4 on Blues Rock Review’s Top 20 Albums of 2017. Ward’s music has also made appearances in several films and TV shows including Cars 3, We’re the Millers, The Good Wife and Pretty Little Liars to name a few. Her cover of Tom Petty’s “Runnin’ Down a Dream” was the opening theme for NASCAR on NBC in 2018.

ZZ’s previous work can be best described as eclectic blending blues, rock, R&B, indie, hip-hop and soul. Growing up in Oregon, she found early influences at home with father’s blues albums and her brother’s hip-hop records. By age 12, ZZ was singing in her father’s blues band, and four years later performing with R&B and hip-hop acts in Eugene. Ward soon packed her genre blender and headed to Los Angeles to shop her vocal, guitar, harmonica, and keyboard skills in the music industry. She would sign with Boardwalk Entertainment Group and went to work on a mix tape, EP and eventually her first album. A cover of Son House’s “Grinnin’ In Your Face” appeared on a limited-edition vinyl. 12 years later and on her Dirty Shine label, “Grinnin In Your Face” appears on Liberation with its Kevin Barry driven lap steel delivering a no-nonsense message of not letting reactions of others hold you back fits in nicely with this album.

Liberation also carries four songs from its predecessor EP Mother, with new originals penned by Ward and more perfectly selected covers. Producer Ryan Spraker co-wrote many of the originals and added guitar, bass, piano and organ to the recordings. Dave Brophy (drums), Cooper Nelson (saxophone), Russell Nygaard (trumpet) and the aforementioned Barry (lap steel) rounding out ZZ’s rockin juke joint band. At the forefront, Ward’s vocals are filled with power and determination. Liberation opens with the four crossovers from Mother with the EP’s title track being the opening statement of a bluesy bemoan of the 24-hour commitment of motherhood. The three that follow are all terrific covers with a sped-up rockabilly version of the Elvis classic “My Baby Left Me” highlighted by the double bass rhythm and electric lead. Things slow down with Big Jon Hamilton’s “I Have No One.”  “Cadillac Man” returns to high octane rockabilly foot stompin on this throwback from The Jesters.

“Love Alive” kicks off the original tracks and was the first song she wrote for the album as well as its first single. On social media ZZ posted:

 “When I wrote “Love Alive,” I was feeling shaken by witnessing some long-lasting relationships crumble around me. I was broken-hearted by the cold, hard truth that love, and commitment, aren’t unwavering. People change, life changes, and nothing is truly certain but change itself. So how can I ever feel safe as I watched love disintegrate around me? I was left with a sense of fear about my own relationship and its future. Take from it what you will. But I realized that sometimes you gotta fight to keep the Love Alive”

The song has a more traditional ZZ Ward sound (if there is such a thing) and is reminiscent of her earlier works. “Naked In The Jungle”, the second release for the album is a swampy toe tapper about vulnerability one can feel without a support mechanism.

 “Liberation” continues the theme highlighted by Ward’s forceful vocals declaring that she’s ‘gonna get some liberation.’ “Lioness” continues the evolution of the album’s tale announcing that this lioness is ‘stronger than I’ve ever been before.’  At this point one gets a sense that the sequencing of the tracks is intentional story telling. House’s “Grinnin’ In Your Face” is a sensible placement as the next track which is followed by Robert Johnson’s “Dust My Broom” a guitar drenched declaration of breaking free. “Sinner’s Prayer” is a slow beat Lowell Fulson cover with dueling piano and guitar leads that echo’s a hint of remorse. Did the Lioness eat someone? Chris Kenner’s 1961 “Something You Got” closes out the covers before the album finishes with a pair of originals “Clairvoyant” and “Next To You”. The former again featuring Ward’s vocal range before wrapping up with a fast-paced rocker about finding the ‘real thing.’

It’s clear Mother and Liberation share more than just tracks. They share a thematic cause and effect relationship that Ward reflects on throughout the album. This confirms her comments in the release notes from Sun Records (both Mother and Liberation are her first releases in cooperation with Ward’s Dirty Shine label)

“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.”

I have always appreciated ZZ Ward’s work going back to Til the Casket Drops finding it a refreshing blend of genre mixing. Returning to the familial roots of her father’s blues-soul library to declare Liberation was a fitting choice and delivered an amazing soundtrack to her life experiences.

The Review: 9/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– Mother
– Love Alive
– Lioness
– Grinnin’ In Your Face
– Naked In The Jungle
– Dust My Broom
– Next To You

The Big Hit

– Love Alive