“I don’t want to do the same thing twice,” Gretta Ziller says in the press release for her sophomore studio album Judas Tree. The album is more than just a departure from the gentle folky sound of her debut, Queen of Boomtown. It’s also an album that deftly explores genres. One thing’s for sure, you won’t get bored listening to this one.
Gretta embraces her country roots but you couldn’t really call Judas Tree a country album. You hear glimpses of it in the gentle slide guitar notes of the opening track “5, 4, 3, 2, 1” and the rebellious nature of “Cinder Ash & Ruin.” But Gretta prefers to pair her country influences with swampy blues and classic rock sounds. It gives her music a bit more edge than the tracks so many female country artists release today. Not that she can completely resist the pull of pop music. “Stockholm” is an energetic guitar-pop banger. Despite the crunchy guitar opening, “Damage Done” is also rooted firmly in the pop space. Many of the tracks show Gretta’s strength, but she’s not afraid of letting her vulnerability shine through on the gentle acoustic guitar ballad “Jericho” and the poignant closer “Dear Love Letter.” Just when you think you’ve got Gretta pegged, she changes direction, showing you yet another side of her talent.
One thing that struck me listening to Judas Tree was just how powerful Gretta’s voice is. Sonically it’s commanding, standing tall even among lushly layered instrumentation. But that strong voice also comes through in her songwriting. It’s some of the best I’ve heard, honest and so relatable. Her voice anchors these songs, ensuring that no matter what genre she’s playing with, it’s unmistakeably Gretta Ziller.
Judas Tree is out now. Catch Gretta live at one of her upcoming shows:
24 October 2021 – Commonfolk Coffee, Mornington (with Clint Wilson)
26 March 2022 – Country by the River, Murray Bridge
Images used with permission from Revolutions per Minute