Previously known for spiffing up the blues with elements of hip hop, rock and pop, ZZ Ward has returned to her roots on Liberation. So it’s fitting that her third LP has found a home on the storied Sun label, the first stop for so many seminal rock ’n’ roll greats, including Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. An album about motherhood, Liberation uses family life as a launching point for a winding journey of self-discovery the ultimately leads to empowerment and a reclamation of her creative identity. Working with multiplatinum producer Ryan Spraker (Eli “Paperboy” Reed, Weezer), Ward finds her grittiest groove in the singular space where vintage soul collides with Chicago and Delta blues. She offers more below.
—Hobart Rowland
1) “Liberation”
“Liberation is the album I feel like I was born to make. I knew I wanted to go further into the blues and soul that raised me, but not until now did I feel confident and free enough to unapologetically follow my heart. ‘Liberation’ is a song I wrote about taking charge of your own decisions—and recognizing that seeking outside approval only keeps you further away from following your heart.”
2) “Mother”
“I wrote this about the frustrations of having a 24/7 responsibility to someone other than yourself. We grow up learning to take care of ourselves, and hopefully, we get really good at it. When I had my first child, I realized it didn’t matter what I was going through. There were no days off.”
3) “My Baby Left Me”
“This just felt like a great song to cover. It just keeps pulling you forward while continuously kicking up the energy.”
4) “I Have No One”
“The lyrics to this are anything but complicated. Songs like this leave it up to the singer to bring it to life.”
5) “Cadillac Man”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard a song quite like this. The urgency is unique. It throws us into the story of a stolen car chase almost as if we’re watching a three-minute movie.”
6) “Love Alive”
“This is the first song I wrote for the album, and it turned out to be a beautiful blend of hollering, poetic storytelling. Sometimes relationships can change when you least expect them to … and you can be left feeling uncertain about the future.”
7) “Naked In The Jungle”
“This one is about having kids and not knowing how to be a parent. I felt like I’d been dropped in the jungle naked with no tools or knowledge of how to survive.”
8) “Lioness”
“‘Lioness’ was inspired by how strong I felt after having my boys. Having a career and deciding to become a mother is a lifechanging choice. I felt so scared of what everyone would think of me if I decided to start a family. My experiences gave me the wisdom to know that I was stronger than ever.”
9) “Clairvoyant”
“They say, ‘When you know, you know.’ Love can sometimes feel so familiar—like it’s meant to be. I wanted this song to feel like vintage soul. It really has a classic energy to it.”
10) “Grinnin’ In Your Face”
“There will always be haters or people who don’t like what you’re doing. I guess Son House knew it way back then—and he teaches us to know who your real friends are and keep them close.”
11) “Dust My Broom”
“I grew up singing this in my dad’s blues band. One of my favorite versions of this song is when it was done by the incomparable Tina Turner.”
12) “Sinners Prayer”
“There’s such a bad-ass swagger to this one. It’s one of those songs I always wanted to sing but maybe didn’t know existed. Ray Charles has a way of taking a simple melody and making it feel so moving. I had to do this song in my own way, and I love how it came together.”
13) “Something You Got”
“Another tune I grew up singing. This recording is special to me, it’s got the perfect balance of dry percussion and funky horns to fill out all the space around the vocal.”
See ZZ Ward live.
