Dreaming Wide Awake
Lizz Wright

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A masterpiece can surface at any moment in the career of a truly gifted musician. In the case of the young singer Lizz Wright, her second album is the charm. Wright's debut Salt gave notice that this was a special talent, a bright new vocalist equally comfortable with folk, jazz, and pop. Dreaming Wide Awake may veer away from the first album's overt jazz influences, but Wright's winningly eclectic ways are still in stunning view. If Wright carries vestiges of the work of such stylistic titans as Nina Simone, Norah Jones, Bonnie Raitt, and Cassandra Wilson, it's to her credit that she draws only from the best. Dreaming establishes its own blissful environment, one where contemporary material (Joe Henry's "Stop," Chocolate Genius’s “Chasing Strange”) meets perfectly chosen pop chestnuts ("Get Together," "A Taste of Honey," “I’m Confessin’,” Neil Young's "Old Man”). Wright's gorgeous tone, sensuous delivery, and tastefully understated vocal interpretations make each song sound as if it were commissioned strictly for her. And the material that Wright did compose or help write herself is top-drawer, revealing yet another impressive aspect of her burgeoning art. Credit for the album’s appeal must be shared with Wright’s producer, Craig Street, the studio wizard who had earlier assisted Cassandra Wilson in finding her unique vision as a recording artist. It would be unfair to label Wright the “next” Norah Jones, although she surely will draw Jones fans to her side. Let’s just call her today’s Lizz Wright, a gift to present-day popular music. Steve Futterman