LIZZ WRIGHT — Salt (2003) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Vocalist Lizz Wright delivers jazz that harks back to such luminaries as Nina Simone and Abbey Lincoln on her debut Verve release, Salt. Still in her early twenties, Wright has a warm, dusky voice reminiscent of Cassandra Wilson and similarly to Wilson seems interested in tackling an eclectic mix of jazz standards, traditional folk, and R&B. Early on, a folky afterglow-Latin version of "Afro Blue" takes center stage followed by the gorgeous "Soon as I Get Home," which betters the version from The Wiz. Wright fairs equally well as a songwriter with about half the album filled with her soaring, bluesy ballads. There is a melancholy yet positive '70s vibe that eminates from songs like "Fire," which resonates lyrically as well as melodically much like the personal/sociopolitical writing of another of Wright's obvious inspirations, Terry Callier. Perhaps a little too low-key to register very high on the pop radio scale, but invested with enough sanguine emotionality and chops to make Salt easily recommended to fans of the neo-soul movement. Matt Collar
Tracklist :
1    Open Your Eyes, You Can Fly 5:09
Written-By – Chick Corea, Neville Potter
2    Salt 3:26
Written-By – Lizz Wright
3    Afro Blue 5:51
Written-By – Mongo Santamaria, Oscar Brown Jr.
4    Soon As I Get Home 4:26
Written-By – Charlie Smalls
5    Walk With Me, Lord 4:06
Traditional
6    Eternity 3:34
Written-By – Lizz Wright
7    Goodbye 3:57
Written-By – Gordon Jenkins
8    Vocalise / End Of The Line 4:33
Written-By – Cynthia Medley, John Edmonson, Sergei Rachmaninov
9    Fire 4:14
Written-By – Lizz Wright
10    Blue Rose 4:05
Written-By – Kenny Banks, Lizz Wright
11    Lead The Way 4:23
Written-By – Brian Blade
12    Silence 2:43
Written-By – Lizz Wright
Credits :
Acoustic Bass – Doug Weiss (tracks: 1 to 11)
Acoustic Guitar – Brian Blade (tracks: 12), John Hart (tracks: 8, 10)
Alto Saxophone – Myron Walden (tracks: 2, 3, 11)
Arranged By – Brian Blade (tracks: 3, 7, 9, 12), Doug Weiss (tracks: 9), John Hart (tracks: 9), Jon Cowherd (tracks: 1, 6 to 10), Kenny Banks (tracks: 5, 10)
Arranged By [Horns] – Jon Cowherd (tracks: 2)
Arranged By [Strings] – Jon Cowherd
Bass Clarinet – Myron Walden (tracks: 11)
Cello – Caryl Paisner (tracks: 6, 8, 10), Ellen Westermann (tracks: 6, 8, 10), Joe Kimura (tracks: 6, 8, 10), Mark Shuman (tracks: 6, 8, 10)
Cello [Solo] – Ellen Westermann (tracks: 8)
Conductor [Strings] – Jon Cowherd
Drums – Brian Blade (tracks: 1, 4 to 11), Terreon Gully (tracks: 2, 3)
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Guitar [Bottleneck] – Adam Rogers (tracks: 12)
Electric Organ [Hammond B3] – Kenny Banks (tracks: 2, 5, 9), Sam Yahel (tracks: 1)
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Jon Cowherd (tracks: 4, 7, 10, 11), Kenny Banks (tracks: 1)
Guitar – John Hart (tracks: 1 to 7, 9, 11)
Marimba – Monte Croft (tracks: 8)
Percussion – Jeff Haynes (tracks: 1, 3 to 9, 11)
Piano [Acoustic Piano] – Danilo Perez (tracks: 3), Jon Cowherd (tracks: 4, 6, 8, 9, 11), Kenny Banks (tracks: 2, 10)
Soprano Saxophone – Chris Potter (tracks: 7)
Trombone – Vincent Gardner (tracks: 2, 3)
Trumpet – Derrick Gardner (tracks: 2, 3)
Vibraphone – Monte Croft (tracks: 4)
Viola – Crystal Garner (tracks: 6, 8, 10), Judy Witmerr (tracks: 6, 8, 10), Ron Carbone (tracks: 6, 8, 10), Sarah Adams (tracks: 6, 8, 10)
Vocals – Lizz Wright

LIZZ WRIGTH – Fellowship (2010) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

On her fourth album, Lizz Wright returns to her gospel roots after writing her own material on 2008's The Orchard. Typically, however, this is hardly a traditional collection of faith-based songs. Wright does include a medley of old spirituals including "Up Above My Head," and she closes the proceedings with "Amazing Grace." But her idea of gospel is highly eclectic, also encompassing the Gladys Knight & the Pips hit "I've Got to Use My Imagination" and Jimi Hendrix's "In from the Storm," neither of which seem particularly religious, as well as Eric Clapton's "Presence of the Lord." Wright also draws material from a clutch of black female contemporaries and influences including Me'Shell Ndegéocello, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Joan Wasser, and Angélique Kidjo as she ranges from neo-soul to African-styled folk-rock music. The disparate sources are united by Wright's distinctive and powerful alto voice, which anchors the music and provides a stylistic through-line, no matter what the nominal genre. This is an unusually somber type of gospel, as Wright favors moodiness over fervor in her statements of faith. That is especially true at the end, when she presents "Amazing Grace" in an ambient, funereal mood. Listeners should expect to be moved by these performances, but not to be cheered. William Ruhlmann       Tracklist + Credits :