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Dreaming Wide Awake
Lizz Wright

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HOT PICK
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
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