Review: ZZ Ward finds ‘Liberation’
ZZ Ward is as fierce as ever.
“My patience is runnin’ so very low,” sings an exasperated ZZ Ward. “Dust My Broom” serves as a lynchpin of her new album, Liberation, on which she galavants across dusty terrain of blues and rock. Together, the fusion signals a brand new ZZ Ward. Shedding her major label days, she steps up to the microphone with only herself and a trusty band of musicians to support her. But there’s freedom in that. Throughout Liberation, what’s most evident is that she’s having fun, skipping around the genre crossroads and coloring outside the lines. There’s nothing more, well, liberating than that.
“When you get tested, you discover who you are, and this album comes from a feeling of empowerment,” the singer-songwriter remarks, noting how motherhood informed Liberation. There’s the obvious cut like “Mother,” on which she insightfully observes, “Say goodbye to your moment to breathe.” While new motherhood can be crushing and exhausting, there’s great joy Ward has been able to discover beneath all the layers of feeding, cleaning up baby puke, and changing diapers. “It’s twenty-four-seven commitment / It don’t matter what you’re dealing with,” she adds in the bridge. That weighted responsibility isn’t lost on her but guides her songwriting pen.
Across 14 songs, Ward allows her creativity to open up new horizons, unlocking a fierce lioness with sharp teeth and razor claws. “I Have No One” pulls in the reins for a vocal acrobatic moment, while “Love Alive” finds her relying on the pitter-patter of handclaps and a guitar’s soft moan to push her to the limit. “We gotta try to keep love alive” rings like a siren, blasting through the night hair and jolting the listener awake. The follow-up, “Naked in the Jungle,” depicts the strain of motherhood – “Some days I don’t know if I can survive this,” she confesses. Her admission isn’t one of giving up but rather sharing every single emotion throbbing in her body. Sometimes, you just need to express yourself.
“Help me, help myself / I’m tired of reaching out for somebody else / I’m gonna get me some liberation,” Ward walks a delicate tightrope on the title track. It’s a Hail Mary, a desperate cry that reverberates throughout her being and shoots up like sparks. From “Sinner’s Prayer” to the grand finale “Next to You,” she washes the listener in expertly crafted blues/rock that’s primal and unapologetic. Liberation arrives as ZZ Ward’s best, most cohesive work to date. And that says something about an artist that has always delighted with impressive sets in the past. Liberation is her moment.
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