Photos courtesy of Chandler Mays & Review by Gini Strobel
I first heard ZZ Ward on Dave FM (tear) a couple of months ago and I was hooked on Put the Gun Down from the start. Her album, Til the Casket Drops debuted on October 16th and I was equally impressed with the multitude of catchy tracks and her bluesy vocal ability. Shortly after the release, her song was featured in the Nashville TV show trailer. Not a bad start for Ms. Ward!
While you’d usually find me in pjs on a rainy Monday night, I joined the other fans at Vinyl and grabbed a couple of beers! The band got funky and fired up the crowd with Hound Dog , and ZZ stepped out to open with Put the Gun Down which definitely surprised us all. This was not ZZ’s first rodeo. Her voice was smooth, flawless, and she definitely knew what she was doing. The band had some serious style too.
At times, she grabbed a harmonica and played it with skill and sass, while fans constantly reminded her how hot she was. Favorites of the night included Criminal and Move Like You Stole It. She certainly dominates the more upbeat tracks!
With songs about break-ups, shitty boyfriends, and those that steal your heart, it would be easy to classify ZZ in a pop-girl genre with Pink and KT Tunstall, but she makes an effort to push past this stereotype and keep it appealing to a broad range of fans. Though it is becoming more and more common to see female artists who sing and play a variety of instruments, it was still refreshing to see ZZ run the gamete from guitar to piano to harmonica. I foresee some major Top 40 radio play in her future and even more sampling on TV and movies and I’m completely cool with that!
