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ZZ Ward Is Like Amy Winehouse Plus Pink

[caption id="attachment_50989" align="aligncenter" width="607"] ZZ Ward and her trendy hat[/caption]

You guys! Today's the day that ZZ Ward drops her debut album Til the Casket Drops! And I know you might be thinking, "Who? Blankenship, please be quiet and let me get back to counting the days until Taylor Swift releases another promo single." But I'm serious. ZZ Ward. She's awesome.

If I had to be reductive, I'd say she's like Amy Winehouse plus Pink: She's got a dark, soulful voice that would sound perfect in a midnight bar, but when she needs it, she can also deliver a rock star's edge, letting you know not to mess with her. The result is a song like "Put the Gun Down," which just destroys the room with its drum beats and blues hollering and story about a woman losing her man. (The lyrics cleverly compare ZZ's rival to a gun---like a weapon of sexuality. When ZZ says "put the gun down," she means, "get your body away from him, please." It's like a drunker version of "Jolene.")

But it's not all attitude. Ward can also settle into an acoustic ballad like "Last Love Song," and her gruff vulnerability is why she especially reminds me of Pink. She sells the pain in this song because she's so passionate about it. She has the voice to make us believe she's feeling something.

My only sadness is that ZZ Ward's full album doesn't include the song "Better Off Dead," which I wrote about a few months ago. But what can you do? At least the new songs are as good as the one that's missing.

Previously: Did dance music ruin Nicki Minaj?

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Mark Blankenship wouldn't compare his own body to a gun. Maybe a DVD, though. He tweets as @IAmBlankenship.

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