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ZZ Ward’s The Storm a stylistic mashup

Album cover for ZZ Ward's "The Storm"
Album cover for ZZ Ward's "The Storm"

A- ZZ Ward

The Storm

Hollywood

Bluesy, pop-inflected, drawing from the deep well of R&B, indebted to hip-hop, folky, alternative indie and rocker — take your pick and you’ll be right every time because all are part of ZZ Ward’s influences and style.

The Storm builds on the qualities of Til the Casket Drops, her successful 2012 debut.

In between, there was an album which she discarded, an EP, some singles, having her songs featured on TV and soundtracks, collaborations with Robben Ford, Lindsey Stirling and tours all over.

Notch one up for the blues with “Cannonball,” written and performed with Grammy-winner Fantastic Negrito, which also features Ward’s harmonica, guitar and her most Amy Winehouse-ish vocal on the album. There’s more blues on “Let It Burn” and “Bag of Bones.”

“Help Me Mama” is a fiery plea. No matter that “my daddy raised me/tried to keep me his sweet baby,” it’s still Mom who gets the emergency call when times get rough. “The Storm” is also pleading, a string section underscoring the supplication to a higher power after her chosen one hits the gravel road.

“If U Stayed” is a wrenching ballad in Adele mode, while the thumping “Ride,” with Gary Clark Jr., plays over the closing credits of Cars 3, ending the album with a gritty guitar solo.

Hot tracks: “If U Stayed,” “Cannonball,” “Help Me Mama”

— PABLO GORONDI

The Associated Press

B+ Haim

Something to Tell You

Columbia

Can you sound too perfect?

It’s a question that Haim — the sunny sisters, singer-guitarist Danielle, guitarist Alana and bassist Este Haim — must run into a lot. The harmonies on their 2013 debut Days Are Gone were so immaculate, as they hearkened back to the ’70s rock of The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac, that it almost felt too good to be true.

For Something to Tell You, the Haim sisters have added a bit of an edge, with help from producers/collaborators Ariel Rechtshaid and Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij.

On “Want You Back,” where the harmonies grow into a gleaming tower of stacked vocals rising skyward, Haim looks to shake the classic-rock feel by adding a bit of R&B phrasing. On “Little of Your Love,” they turn a girl-group outing on its head with wild guitar riffs, echoing production and stray bits of noise.

“You Never Knew” finds Danielle sounding most like Christine McVie on the verses, aided by a synth sound, before they move to a verse that feels as if it should be on Carly Rae Jepsen’s last album.

Occasionally, it seems like all the additional instrumentation is there to distract from the harmonies, when the song would have been better served by removing the harmonies and letting Danielle (or another Haim) sing it alone, like in the ironically titled “Found It in the Silence,” which is overstuffed. But all that inventiveness keeps this album from sliding into the blandness that eventually comes with consistently pretty harmonies. And it makes Haim an unfettered success.

Hot tracks: “Want You Back,” “Little of Your Love”

— GLENN GAMBOA

Newsday (TNS)

B+RAC

Ego

Counter

RAC, born Andre Allen Anjos, gets plenty of help on his new album, starting with the 13 different singers.

But make no mistake, Ego is all about him. Best known for remixes for Lana Del Rey and Imagine Dragons, Anjos has grown into a strong songwriter and a savvy producer. Despite all sorts of voices, Ego has a cohesive sound — upbeat electronic dance pop built on memorable melodies as much as lyrics.

The playful pop of “The Beautiful Game,” with vocals from St. Lucia, feels like the bridge from his Strangers album, which included the hit “Cheap Sunglasses.”

But “I Still Wanna Know,” with Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo on vocals, shows Anjos moving out in new directions. The distinctive vocals of K. Flay make “Heartbreak Summer” a rocking thrill, thanks to a spare, guitar-driven arrangement and a big, loping bass line.

With Ego, Anjos shows that you don’t have to sing for people to appreciate your fresh musical voice.

Hot tracks: “Heartbreak Summer,” “The Beautiful Game”

B Bedouine

Bedouine

Spacebomb

Bedouine is Azniv Korkejian’s alias and the title of her debut. It’s a hushed, haunted, delicate wonder that evokes 1970s singer-songwriters as it pairs her thoughtful words with unfussy arrangements.

Born to an Armenian family in Aleppo, Syria, Korkejian grew up in Saudi Arabia before her family moved to the United States; she is based in Los Angeles.

“Nice and Quiet” is truth in advertising for the rest of the album. If that sounds like it might get boring, don’t worry, there’s always something going on to caress your ears and merit your attention.

Gracefully produced by Gus Seyffert, Bedouine, at times, is reminiscent of Leonard Cohen, Laura Marling and Bill Withers. Sometimes it’s the lyrics, in other places it’s her unaffected, sometimes nearly-spoken delivery and also because songs are usually built upon her acoustic guitar.

Withers, like Korkejian, was also in his 30s when he made his first album. While Withers worked at an airplane factory, Bedouine is a professional sound designer, editing dialogue and music in Hollywood, which may account for the some of the precision and spatial spread of the soundscapes.

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Album cover for Haim's "Something to Tell You"

Hot tracks: the sweeping romanticism of “Dusty Eyes,” the confident vulnerability of “Solitary Daughter,” the shades of English folk on “Heart Take Flight.”

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