This isn't Pop, Rock or any other familiar everyday genre. ZZ's music is Jazz, mixed with pure RNB, Soul, Rock, and a lot of spirit. When you start listening to one of her songs, you immediately feel the right mood, as if you were transported into a smoking Jazz nightclub in the 1920's in some god-forgotten town in the US. Lately I've been finding myself listening to a lot of "alternative", "non-mainstream" music, but ZZ simply tops it all with her unique voice and her very pure music. When I start playing Save My Life, i close my eyes and goes to my happy place. Again and again.
Eleven Roses was ZZ Ward's first mixtape, and was released back in 2012, being freely downloadable on her SoundCloud page (link at the bottom). Later she gained popularity using a determined marketing on YouTube, Facebook and Vevo, while releasing her EP Criminal, which contained 4 of her best songs up to then. Last autumn she released her full album, Til The Casket Drops. She appeared a lot of times live on TV, during night shows and others. Let's have a quick rundown on her best work from this year, since we have most of it available online for us to enjoy.
The title song of the album was one of her first successful singles, which was accompanied by an official video which was a collaboration with ABC's Pretty Little Liars. It is a wonderful song, one of the best of her to my opinion. Its acoustic version appears on Eleven Roses.
Though, her first clip, and the one where I fell in love with her, was Put The Gun Down. It is a powerful song, a Jazz beat that is not afraid to punch you awake during these times of a sinking music industry:
ZZ's collaboration with The O'My's gave birth to a powerful crying ballad, which is simply amazing both on the album, and as much when performed live. There seems to be a saw running through all of my organs when this song is played. Quite like that:
But the most awesome song on the album, is no doubt SAVE MY LIFE. Simply put, it is THE best song I've heard for years. I really love the album version, but each version deserves a listening if you want to be a true ZZ Ward's fan.
Recently was released the official video to 365 Days, which gave new life to the song the used to close the album. The new spoken chorus is amazing, and so is the clip itself. Hear those slashing guitars at the end of the song? This chills the hair on my neck.
And quite silently, during this year's Record Store's Day, ZZ released her tribute song, Everybody Wants to Be Famous. See the irony there? That's why I'm so in love with this singer, being able to release a song like that, without much advertising, and with that name. Lovely.
Her voice, I could simply get married with her voice. Not that I mean she's not amazingly beautiful and charismatic and talented, but the voice is a gift.
So take an hour or two, and more if you wish, and go over her new kind of old Jazz and RNB. Just don't forget to buy her album when you are completely fallen for her.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZZWard
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/zzward
YouTube / VEVO: http://www.youtube.com/user/zzward, https://www.youtube.com/user/ZZWardVEVO
Official Website: http://zzward.com/
Have fun,
Lior
