The Orchard

I learned about this CD from watching CBS Sunday Morning -- This woman's voice is soulful, smoth and silky -- just a dream to listen to. And her lyrics are just as strong. Buy this album -- you won't regret it. Great for any hour of day. It's 5:00 am as I write this and I'm enjoying the track "When I Fall" -- and I'm confident you will too (though you don't need to listen to it at 5 am!)

Lizz Wright has never been shy of experimentation with her sound - seemingly exempt from any commercial pressure, she has been allowed a journey (perhaps by her label) that many of her contemporaries would truly envy.
"The Orchard" continues with evolution of her artistry off the beaten path and the result is an incredibly personal album.
Working again with producer Craig Street (a producer famous for his work with a broad palette of singers such as Cassandra Wilson, k.d. lang, Me'Shell 'Ndegeocello), she moves further away from the accessible jazz of her 2003 debut "Salt" and toward contemporary soul without sacrificing any of her music's sensuality or spare beauty.
Her debut album was a great success critically, but "Dreaming Wide Awake" was an attempt at Norah Jones pop/jazz.
Now, Wright is back on the right track working with folk/blues ace Toshi Reagon on half the dozen cuts.
"The Orchard" is the mostly self-written album and it reflects her journey through life, starting with her life growing up in the small, rural church town of Hahira, Georgia. She may be technically considered a Jazz artist, but she's got plenty of Soul and Rhythm & Blues in her music as well.
The CD features an eclectic cast that includes noted singer/songwriter Toshi Reagon, who co-wrote several songs with Wright; Calexico members Joey Burns and John Convertino; avant-guitar hero Oren Bloedow; longtime Bob Dylan sideman Larry Campbell; Ollabelle member Glenn Patscha; and guest vocalists Catherine Russell and Marc Anthony Thompson (aka Chocolate Genius).
A youth spent singing in southern churches has left an indelible mark on the music of jazz-pop phenom Lizz Wright. But above and beyond her innate soulfulness -- her father was the preacher and musical director of her hometown church in Hahira, Georgia -- the young singer's strongest attribute is her tenacity.
When you first listen to her voice, many great names come to mind: Anita Baker, Cassandra Wilson, Regina Belle and Tracy Chapman.
Let it be said here: Lizz Wright is in a class all her own: the timbre of her voice is what strikes you first - rich and strong, infused with gospel and the vocal heritage of jazz.
Her knack for writing and interpreting intensely personal songs make it difficult to place her anywhere but in the heart.
She commits herself fully to her third effort, including the majority of the material she co-wrote. But something truly awesome transpires when she settles into hits by Led Zeppelin and Patsy Cline, each of which culminates with mind-blowing oomph.
In fact she luxuriates in her sprawling cover of Led Zeppelin's "Thank You", and her rendition of the Patsy Cline hit "Strange" is sublimely dreamlike.
Like any great singer, Wright has the ability to completely re-imagine and inhabit classic songs. She has the competence to get right inside her material, because she has an enviable ability to make focused, commercial music of great honesty.
Her voice, a large, contralto sound, often slow and heavy, is packed with emotion and commands attention, like on the opening track "Coming Home", a ballad with a prominent beat, a song that seems a blend between a spiritual and rock music and on the vibrant "My Heart".
The producer Craig Street, renowned for his understated, skilful recordings, doesn't overplay Wright's spectacular voice; instead, he drapes it in a polished contemporary jazz context mixed with blues and R&B plus a trace of pop and rock.
She responds with subtle grace and seeming sincerity, radiating a self-possession and maturity beyond her years.
Standout tracks : the intimate "Song for Mia", arranged in slow waltz-time; "The Silence", all pulsing piano and brushed-snare sixteenths and her blues-inflected, sultry interpretation of Ike Turner's "I Idolize You", where she oozes with primal desire.
It's not jazz, soul, blues or gospel - it's heart music.
"I'd been trained in choral, gospel and a little bit of opera", she says, "and wanted to move away from those styles. I love songs that create moments, that are very personal and that tell a story".
Whith this fine album, she has found "her" voice.

Like something good that you know is good, Lizz Wright is synonymous with impeccability and goodness. Her third album is a testament to this. The beautiful voice and the prestine arrangement; its all there and its familiar and flawless.The album starts strongly with "Coming Home" about being back from a war or the mere battlefields of life itself, then finishes with "Strange" a haunting, resonant ballad about being left behind for another. Everything in between is all good. It's a pity she spends most of the concert season in Europe. I highly recommend that you take every effort to see her live. It will be an experience that you will cherish. Hearing her sing right there is like nirvana, the ultimate in high defintion sound. Her etheral voice transcends, its pure joy. If you haven't heard of Lizz Wright, start with "The Orchard" then work your way back to "Dreaming While Awake" and "Salt" You'll discover a great artist and song writer.

Lizz Wright has cheered my days lately. Her deep voice and tender lyrics lull me through the commuter traffic. Try her out!

What can I say. Jazzy soul singer, that impressed me. First heard of her on CBS Sunday Mornging Show. Very enjoyable. Not dancing music at all, just nice Sunday relaxing music.