ZZ Ward – Love Alive (2025)
Brimming with eclecticism, singer-songwriter ZZ Ward is something out of this world. Perhaps it’s her body-swaying, foot-stopping, head-bopping blend of vintage and contemporary blues, or perhaps it’s her confident stage presence and massive grin that draws you in; the fact is, US-based Ward is impossible to ignore. Hitting our virtual desk last year, we were introduced to ZZ Ward with the single ‘Mother’ and we loved each second. Today, we delve into her most recent release, ‘Love Alive’.
The lead single off her upcoming album Liberation, ZZ Ward gleans toward her blues roots with ‘Love Alive’. Following her well-received EP Mother – an album exploring the highs and lows of motherhood – ‘Love Alive’ taps into the realm of relationships on the path of parenthood. As much as children can draw you together, they might push you apart as each partner finds their own feet as a parent. When speaking about the new single, Ward explains:
“Having kids can really test your relationship. This song is about keeping the love alive during the trying times of early parenthood.”
Produced with Ryan Spraker, ‘Love Alive’ fuses a distinctive blues meets soul sound with a classic rock flair. The combination of dynamic drums, bold bass and soaring guitars evokes a heavy rock attitude; however, as much as the melody has a hard-hitting attitude, there is weightiness in the vocals exceeding the powerful instrumentation. Ward’s obscure alto might meld harmonically with the blues-rock melody, yet it retains individuality and prominence so you can almost feel her confident roar of empowerment and hope.
Sincere, sentimental and brutally honest, ‘Love Alive’ is an anthemic theme song for every person facing challenging situations, in this case, parenthood. I cannot wait for Ward’s upcoming album, but in the meantime, I have ‘Love Alive’ to keep me company.
In addition to the single, ZZ Ward released an official music video for ‘Love Alive’. You can view it below and on her YouTube channel.
Find out more about ZZ Ward on her official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.
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