One day while walking through the communications building at the University of Texas at Austin, I stumbled across a promotional card featuring a beautiful girl and the name of a website. After a couple of days, curiosity got the best of me and I was treated to an EP by the talented ZZ Ward. What I heard from the Hollywood Records artist surprised me. Now, Ward is hard at work promotion the release of her debut album, Til the Casket Drops, which features songs from the extended play. Preceded by lead single, “Put the Gun Down”, and featuring a voice reminiscent of Amy Winehouse and Adele, I am sure this is just the beginning for a phenomenal talent.
The artist’s debut album opens up with the title track, a song I heard and quickly thought was a new single from UK-darling Adele. The vocals blew me away and grabbed my attention when I thought that could not happen. Looking back at the coldest night of the year, Ward sings she would stay by her man’s side until her heart stopped beating and the casket dropped. Strong love.
The album’s lead single will have listeners stomping along as soon as the beat comes through the speakers. “Put the Gun Down” compares the body of Ward’s rival, who stole her man right out from under her, as a weapon of mass destruction. Ward can see why her rival may be so attractive, but pleads for her to take anything else she wants, just not her lover.
“Blue Eyes Blind” is not as fast-paced in its delivery as the preceding tracks and features a catchy hook and chorus that keeps the album on a positive path. A little vulgarity is thrown in for good measure and reminds me of the attitude that true rebel P!nk radiates on her work. “All I know is you pull me through, I don’t wanna see nothing if I ain’t seeing you,” the artist sings.
Production is kept a little more simple and acoustic-sounding on “Home”, a beautiful ballad of how no one quite gets the artist like the one she loves does. Ward makes it clear her father’s blessing is not required to justify her love for someone. The track could have turned into another generic, sloppy love ballad, but the artist’s ruggedness adds something extra to this show-stopping performance.
Up and coming rap artist Kendrick Lamar assists Ward on “Cryin Wolf”, a track that highlights both artists’ skills in the hip-hop genre. The verses of the song are slow, chill and meaningful which lead up to a chorus that holds the entire thing together. The track was already good, but Lamar’s contribution only helps the song succeed even more. The end product is an unexpected masterpiece.
With an intro I thought belonged to a Christmas song, “Save My Life” shows Ward coming to terms with the idea that the guy that means everything to her may never return the feelings. The artist maintains composure, but it feels like she was a complete wreck while jotting down the song’s lyrics. It features a strange mixture of strength and vulnerability. Listen for yourself.
Ward allows her voice to do all the work on the first true ballad on the album. “Last Love Song” is a track Adele wishes she could have had on 21, with similarities to her huge hit “Somebody Like You”. “No more ‘you’re the only one’, cuz that’s all done with now,” the artist belts out with the utmost perfection. If released as a future single, there is no doubt in my mind it will make Ward a star.
A soft piano opens “Lil Darlin”, a jazz experiment which compliments the artist’s sound and style very well. If you did not know who Ward was before you heard this track, you would have a hard time believing it was her at all. The artist will never love anyone the same as she loves the one in her life now. The song may not be the greatest addition to the album, but it’s certainly worth hearing.
The tempo picks back up with “Move Like U Stole It”. Ward is planning to make a lucky guy’s wildest dreams come true on this slightly sexual track. The song is good, it is expanding the artist’s already wide range of musical styles. The songwriting highlights the fact that a song can be seductive and witty without coming off as cheap and vulgar. Pop artists take note.
“Criminal”, the title track to Ward’s EP, is a song that unfortunately did not interest me the first time I came across it. Giving the track a second chance on her debut, I still could not find anything amazing or special about it. Yes, the artist’s vocals are perfect. That is to be expected on the tenth track on the record. Comparing Gibbs’ verse to Lamar’s, I’ll stick to Kendrick’s this time around.
Ward wonders what it would be like to be the man of her dream’s girlfriend on “If I Could Be Her”. Too bad he already has girlfriend. The artist admits she would give him everything he deserves, everything the snooty, rich current girl cannot. “If I had her heels on, I would never do you wrong,” Ward sings on the shortest track on the album. Short, sweet and simple.
More raw vocals are showcased on “Charlie Ain’t Home”. The song follows the same basic structure as the rest of the track list. It could have been for that reason that this song did not intrigue me as much as the others. There are some moments on the song were it shines, but at the end it ultimately falls behind the rest of the pack. Not bad, but not exceptional.
The album closes with “365 Days”, a song that sounds like many rolled into one. One might think of it as a mess, especially the chorus that comes out of nowhere, but I found it quite enjoyable. The track may not have been the strongest choice to end the album, but it will certainly remind listeners of the amazing voice of Ward and her skills with a guitar.
Til the Casket Drops is an album I am glad I stumbled across. ZZ Ward showcases similarities to work from that of Amy Winehouse, Adele and P!nk, great comparisons for a debut artist. Track after track immense talent pours out like it is no hard work at all. Ward has a way with words and a voice that would make the singing of the phone book sound amazing. The album is probably one of the best debut efforts in a long while and a project everyone needs to play at least once. Ward will be a star, I have no doubt about that. The album receives a 88%.
Tracks to Hear: “Til the Casket Drops”, “Put the Gun Down”, “Home” and “Last Love Song”
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