By Julie Ann Shaw

I had been waiting years to see ZZ Ward live, and it absolutely was worth the wait. People were lining up to get into the venue hours before the doors even opened, so I knew I was in good company. The opener for the night was a beautiful young lady with a gorgeous raspy voice and a friend on the guitar, Lanie Gardner. When Gardner first started playing, the audience continued their conversations at full volume, almost drawing out Gardner’s soulful set. However, by the time she got to her cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dream” from their timeless 1977 album, Rumours, the audience not only stopped all personal conversations, but everyone was singing along with her. She had won over the entire room very quickly and most likely earned herself a lot of new fans. 

After a 30 minute set change, ZZ Ward glided onto the stage with a beautiful and indescribable grace. The first two songs she opened with were from her newest album, Dirty Shine, “Forget About Us,” and “Baby Don’t.” Ward then picked up her guitar for Til The Casket Drops’ “Put The Gun Down,” and “Til The Casket Drops.” 

By this time the crowd was already immersed in the bluesy, indie rock pop artist’s mesmerizing voice and singing along like there was no tomorrow. The floor was covered in various alcoholic beverages and people were packed shoulder to shoulder but still managed to dance like the world was ending. Ward followed with “Giant,” and “Ride,” Ward’s duet with Gary Clark Jr. from her 2017 album, The Storm, and featured on Disney/ Pixar’s Cars 3 soundtrack. Next Ward performed “Break Her Heart,” “Sex & Stardust,” “Tin Cups,” “Last Love Song,” “Bag Of Bones,” and her classic, “Charlie Ain’t Home.”

For the next couple of songs, Ward paid homage to her blues heroes. First, she performed a moving cover of Son House’s “Grinning In Your Face.” Then, Ward performed a gorgeous cover of Elmore James’ “Dust My Broom.” Lastly, Ward gifted us with a heart stopping cover of Lowell Fulson’s “Three O’Clock Blues.”

After her beautiful tributes, Ward finished off her set with her own songs “Lil’ Darlin,” “The Dark,” “365 Days,” “ If I Could Be Her,” and lastly, “Move Like U Stole It,” from Til The Casket Drops.  Obviously, that was not the end of the night. Of course there were encores. The first encore was “OverdoZZe” from her new album, Dirty Shine. Ward’s second encore, and very last song of the night was “Blue Eyes Blind” which made the audience ecstatic.  

You can find ZZ Ward online at: https://www.zzward.com/

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The Dark of Morning

Reviewed By: Lexi Bissonnette

UK singer/songwriter James Bay releases his debut EP, The Dark of Morning. The five-track EP perfectly fits in with those in the alternative genre that came before him. With a beautiful combination of sounds from the guitar and piano paired with his vocals each song is a strong addition.

The Dark of Morning is a soulful, slow album that speaks through strong guitar chords and slightly nonsensical lyrics. “Clocks Go Forward” is the real star on this album as it is a mixture of the soulful and the upbeat, the sound shifting in the beginning and in-between versus. “Need the Sun to Break” is the only fully upbeat song on the track but still lends itself to mixing properly with the slower more soulful sounds of the other four. There is a strange echo sound behind the lyrics that may be a strange auto tune but is more than likely something that occurred in recording. While a bit strange at first, it does not detract from the music.

James Bay will begin touring as an opening act for ZZ Ward in September. Just recently, he opened for The Rolling Stones.

Rating: bad-ass

Many rap critics consider Illmatic a hip-hop masterpiece. Michael Eric Dyson and Sohail Daulatzai dedicate an entire book to dissecting the album and explaining why it is so significant.

For ZZ Ward, discovering Nas and this record is what bridged the gap between her and hip-hop. “I just felt the passion in his lyrics,” says Ward. “I didn’t know who he was before I heard him and then I heard him and it was exactly what I needed to connect with hip-hop. Nas was rapping about becoming more and getting out of where he was. And even though I was in Oregon in the middle of nowhere, in my own way I can relate to that.”

On what I imagine to be a sunny day in California, I talk to ZZ Ward while she drives to a music studio in Los Angeles. Back in May, the singer was home for a few days before heading to Europe.

“It’s the grind out there when you tour,” says Ward. “It’s not for the weak or the mild. But at the end of everyday, I have a great group out there with me. My band is a great group of guys. We have a great time on stage and we get along off stage which is really important because you live with the people on the tour bus. We love playing shows. So when we get on stage and the crowd is just like into it and they’re having a great time, then it’s all worth while. The travel is hard sometimes, but it’s definitely worth it.”

Last October, Ward released her first full-length album, Til the Casket Drops, on Hollywood Records. The record stays true to the singer’s love for hip-hop, as it’s full of influences from the genre. Ward even features rappers Freddie Gibbs and Kendrick Lamar on the album. Blues also plays an important role in Ward’s work and it’s evident throughout her music.

“I’ve always been attracted to music that has extremes in emotion,” says Ward. “Whether it’s heartbreak or heartache or being angry; that’s why I like the blues a lot. I got that same feeling from hip-hop.”

This weekend, Ward will be performing at the Firefly Festival in Dover, Delaware. Shows start Friday afternoon, with Ward and her band set to play on Saturday. “That’s the coolest thing about these festivals,” says Ward. “It’s not just one concert; it’s like you get to watch a band, watch a concert and then go get a beer and go to another  concert and then go get something else and then go to another show. There’s so much traffic and you know, for music lovers like me and a lot of my fans, it’s so exciting just to be able to walk around and see other shows. I can’t wait.”

Born in Abington, Pennsylvania, ZZ Ward grew up in rural Oregon, moving there when she was a child. Ward comes from a home where she was exposed to many different types of music. Between her older brother and parents, the singer was introduced to a plethora of artists and albums. “They just embraced music so much,” says Ward of her family. “Music was beauty, music was fun, music was a party; it was always cool in my house to express yourself and that was always kind of valued and my parents always nurtured that. I’m very thankful that I had that growing up or else I don’t know if I would be doing what I’m doing.”