Five years separate
The Storm
from
ZZ Ward
's 2012 debut
Til the Casket Drops
, but the modern blues-rocker wasn't idle during that half-decade. She toured extensively, opening for legends and appearing in the middle of the bill on festivals, but more importantly, she never strayed far from the studio, attempting to cut new material as early as 2015. An EP called
Love and War
materialized that year, intended as a teaser for a 2016 record called
This Means War
that never happened. Instead, she returned to the studio and came up with
, a record that nimbly walks the line dividing modern and retro rock-soul. As a singer, she's firmly grounded in tradition, a big, powerful belter in the vein of
Aretha Franklin
and
Janis Joplin
. She also has a fondness for traditional song structures, whether it's a 12-bar rave ("Let It Burn") or classic soul ("Hold On"), but
never feels like it's a throwback, thanks to
Ward
's insistence on camouflaging her fascination with yesteryear in modern dress. While
never quite indulges in a full-bore hip-hop/blues fusion,
is littered with fluid rhythmic loops and her delivery can be as fleet as a rapper.
supplements these lively modern R&B numbers with nods toward diva pop ("The Storm"), melancholy folk ("If U Stayed"), and stomping
Black Keys
rock ("Ride," featuring guitar from
Gary Clark, Jr.
and also featured in
Cars 3
), all of which are impressive even if they do carry a faint air of hedging her bets; she's leaving doors open to other styles if the modern R&B doesn't work out. Nevertheless, this versatility is as impressive as
's bold performances and sharp songwriting, all elements that make
effective, colorful, and contemporary. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine