ZZ Ward: Fire and Shine Tour @ Soho, SB

"Put the Gun Down" Ward's voice commands in a soulful manner as she sways along to her song on stage at Soho in Santa Barbara. Soulful, sultry, and brazen- ZZ Ward brings the cool element to her unique mixture of blues, pop, and folk. Raised in Oregon, Ward has blues in her blood, with her inspiration stemming from listening to old rock, blues, and pop vinyls as well as her father's influence. Ward's voice could be explained as the love child of Adele and Amy Winehouse, except it also has a sound that is distinctly hers. Ward started her set at Soho with numbers like "Home" and "Till the Casket Drops", each offering pleasantly different harmonies and melodies; none of ZZ's music is repetitive, each song has you feeling something totally different from the one that was just played. While songs like "Home" are sentimental and poetic, songs like "Put the Gun Down" and "Blue Eyes Blind" give a kick of female power. Maybe that's what makes ZZ Ward so cool- she embodies female empowerment through her music, and isn't scared to sing what she thinks, something I can totally respect in an artist. Forget sappy teen washout singers that are more show and glitter than substance; ZZ is all substance with a fiery flare that attracts all kinds of audiences. It's obvious that the band she plays with are in love with her as well- not only were they having fun performing, but there is something intuitive between all of them; you can really feel those blues hit you when Eric, the guitarist touring with ZZ goes off into a riff that transcends time; its that kind of sound that gets you closer to god. Good music does this- and ZZ Ward's soulful and sincere voice along with the band is like melted butter on pancakes. Not only is ZZ Ward's music distinctively hers, but her style is also quite something, with her dusky speaking voice and a signature hat with a feather, emphasizing her larger than life eyes. ZZ Ward is too much her own woman to be put in the same category as a bunch of other young female singers- yeah, her music is about a boy that broke her heart, but are they songs about her pining for his love? Hell no. Instead they're a retaliation in the best way; through hearty melodies and sexy rhythms that would leave any boy that broke a girl's heart running back to her in a split second. ZZ Ward is in the big leagues with singers like Adele, Amy Winehouse, and Duffy- with a folksy twang that just may have you hopping onto i-tunes to buy the album. It's rare that so much talent can be found in someone as young ; her lyrics are poetic yet bold, and her f*** off attitude matches the album perfectly. ZZ has a kind of demanding presence, and you can't help but dance when her sound hits you- Ward is definitely the new cool chick on the block and someone that you should look out for in the future. Her album "Put the Gun Down" is just the start of something pretty amazing- the girl's got it.

Check out ZZ Ward's album "Put the Gun Down"

I recommend her songs "Put the Gun Down" and "Move Like You Stole It"