''Dirty Shine'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter

ZZ Ward Zsuzsanna Eva Ward (born June 2, 1986) is an American singer-songwriter from Roseburg, Oregon. She signed with Hollywood Records to release her debut extended play (EP), ''Criminal'' (2012), which preceded the release of her debut studio album, ...

and her debut release through her independent label Dirty Shine Records. The album follows ''The Storm'' (2017) and features vocals from

Aloe Blacc Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III (born January 7, 1979), known professionally as Aloe Blacc (), is an American singer and rapper. He is known for his guest performance on Avicii's 2013 single "Wake Me Up (Avicii song), Wake Me Up", which peaked on ...

Jean Deaux Zoi Harris (born May 4, 1995), better known by her stage name Jean Deaux () is an American musician. She is known for her involvement in multiple genres and creative mediums. Her debut EP ''Krash'' was released in October 19, 2018. Career Deaux ...

, and

Vic Mensa Victor Kwesi Mensah (born June 6, 1993), known professionally as Vic Mensa, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, he was a member of the regional hip hop groups Kids These Days (band), Kids These Days and Savemoney prior to releasing ...

. A deluxe edition named the ''Dirty Deluxe'' was released on November 17, 2023. In promotion of the album, Ward embarked on her One Hell of a Night Tour.

Background

As her first release as an

independent artist Independent music (also commonly known as indie music, or simply indie) is a broad style of music characterized by creative freedoms, low-budgets, and a do-it-yourself approach to music creation, which originated from the liberties afforded by i ...

, Ward wanted to be able to have complete control and freedom, saying that "you can get sidetracked trying to please other people, or label and what they want from you or what they see from you." The phrase "dirty shine" means to be embrace your authentic self and while being dirty and rough around the edges. It was started when Ward released her first album ''Til the Casket Drops''.

Singles

The lead single, "Tin Cups" with

, was released on October 14, 2022, with a music video released November 16. It is her first song in two years following "Giant" in 2020. Ward stated that "the addition of Aloe elevated this song and added depth that only an artist of his caliber can." A second single, "Baby Don't" featuring DijahSB, was released March 10, 2023. A music video for the solo version of the song was released March 24. The video is part one of a series of videos written, directed, and produced by Adam William Ward. The third single, "Ride or Die" featuring

, was released May 3, 2023. It is part two of the music video series. The fourth single, "Forget About Us", was released June 16, 2023. The fifth single, "On One" featuring

, was released July 28, 2023. The music video omits Deaux's verse and includes a solo verse from Ward. It is the finale of the music video series. The sixth and final single, "Evil on the Inside" was released on October 13, 2023. It was included in the ''Dirty Deluxe'' edition of the album.

Critical reception

''Dirty Shine'' received widespread critical acclaim. Critics praised Ward's versatility in blending the

blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre, genre and form of rock music, rock and blues music that relies on the chords/scales and instrumental improvisation of blues. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electri ...

and

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

genres and her overall performance. Pete Francis from Blues Rock Review called the album "different in a great way", giving it an 8.5/10. He also named "Ride Or Die", "Dead Or Alive", "Baby Don't", "Tin Cups", and "Don't Let Me Down" standout tracks.

Track listing

References

{{ZZ Ward 2023 albums ZZ Ward albums