ZZ Ward – Liberation
14 Tracks – 42 minutes
Zsuzsanna Eva Ward was born in Abington Pennsylvania in 1986, but grew up in Roseburg, Oregon. She was named after her maternal grandmother, Zsuzsanna Friedman, A Jewish Hungarian who converted to Catholicism to avoid persecution during the holocaust. By age 12, she was singing in her father’s blues band and has stated the first song she sang was Albert King’s “As The Years Go Passing By”. Growing up in a small town, she spent her spare time listening to her father’s blues collection and her brother’s hip-hop records, both ultimately influencing her own musical pursuits. By age 16, she was performing in Eugene with R&B and hip-hop acts. The talented vocalist is also a proficient multi-instrumentalist playing guitar, piano, and harmonica.
In 2011, she moved to Los Angeles and immediately signed with Boardwalk Records. In 2012, the label released her first EP, Criminal”, and immediately followed that with her debut album, Til the Casket Drops. Her albums have tended to mix her interest with the blues and hip -hop into her own unique sound. That has led her to collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Fantastic Negrito, Aloe Blacc and Gary Clark, Jr. as well as a tour with Eric Clapton.
Liberation is her fourth studio release and has a mixture of her own original songs and covers of songs that she holds some importance for her. This album moves more directly into the blues and R&B with a theme of her current status of parenthood.
She immediately explains her life in raising two kids while maintaining her career in the opening track “Mother” establishing ” Come do 24 hours in my shoes. Say goodbye to your moments to breathe”. A cover of Arthur Crudup’s 1950’s song “My Baby Left Me” was a recorded as tribute to her new label, the historic Sun Records, and to Elvis Presley who recorded the song in 1956 as a flip side on a Sun singles release. The song notes “he left me, never said a word” in a romping rock & roll number. “I Have No One” was recorded by Big John Hamilton in 1956 and she continues the era’s R&B sound with her declaration “I need somebody to love me, somebody to hold me”.
“Cadillac Man” was recorded by The Jesters in 1966 and keeps the rock ‘n’ roll going with a feel of something Chuck Berry might have recorded. A humorous tale of a run of a big Cadillac and her pursuit by the police, perhaps a dream of her own freedom. She offers a soulful hope that she and her partner can keep their “Love Alive” as maternity and life itself causes changes. “Never thought we would drift so far in the mist”. “Naked in the Jungle” is an expression of how she feels as she adjusts to motherhood. “Caught up in these hectic days. Don’t ask me how I feel.”
The title song is a multi-layered tune in keeping with a Phil Spector sound and brings to mind Lesley Gore from back in the 60’s. It is her explanation of coming to terms of making the music she wants to do citing “There is always a man to hide behind and now I see I’ve done it all my life. So, baby don’t take this the wrong way. Help me help myself”. On “Lioness”, she declares “Sometimes I feel like the world is against me cause I’m a female and man it’s a shame. The moment I told you I was expecting, if I go out you don’t see me the same”. ” She then growls “lioness.” and proclaims “I’m not ashamed of who I have become. I am stronger than ever before”. Son House’s 1965 “Grinnin’ in Your Face” fits her theme as she expounds that they “don’t care how you’re trying to live. They’ll talk about you still”. The song is given a deep gritty blues touch with only a stark slide guitar and harmonica powering her vocals.
Robert Johnson’s classic 1937 “Dust My Broom” lets her rock out again and further demonstrate her skills on the harmonica. She then shifts to a cover of Lowell Fulson’s 1951 “Sinner’s Prayer” keeping the deep blues going as she begs “Lord have mercy on me. I used to have plenty of money. The finest clothes in town. But bad luck and trouble overtaken me. Bound to get me down.” She closes her covers with Chris Kenner’s 1961 song declaring “Something You Got” “makes me work all day…makes me bring home my pay…makes the world go…I love you so” all in an easy swing. (The earlier covers are certainly from well-known artists, but Kenner drew my desire to re-discover who he was and for those for us from back in the day, Kenner’s big hits were “Land of 1000 Dances” and “I Like It Like That”.)
She closes with two final originals. On “Clairvoyant” she says he brought “something supernatural in my bones like we have already been. I get visions when I look at you like a dream I have already been in”. She closes with “Next to You” in a modern sounding rocker noting he “is the real thing.” and again letting her harmonica jump into the sound.
ZZ has said that this is the album she always wanted to do with a return to her true blues roots. Sun Records gave her that opportunity outside of the influence of others, therefore her “liberation”. Many references to songs and the sounds of the past should not indicate that this a throwback album. While looking into the past, she generated fresh songs alongside of revitalized songs that fit her vision of what she wanted to accomplish with the album. Her strong vocals and well-played instruments deliver a modern sound that feels newer than the many auto-tuned and synthesized pop tunes on the market today. ZZ has delivered on her intent of a complete return to the blues. Well done!
