Review: ZZ Ward doubles down on her blues instincts with her fourth studio album, going to the logical ends of her newfound motherhood and creative independence. Produced with longtime collaborator Ryan Spraker, the record folds four tracks from her recent EP ‘Mother' into a broader canvas of originals and carefully chosen covers. In the midst of early parenthood, the songs confront exhaustion, strength, and clarity with grit and grace. “It just took me a long time to get here,” she reflects, describing the album as a way of reclaiming her place in the genre, as lead single ‘Love Alive’ lights the way to a blues-traditional, real-life sound and upcoming tour, Dirty Sun. Messy, honest, and unmistakably hers.
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