Lizz Wright

On Grace, lauded American singer Lizz Wright summons her Southern heritage and the spirit of the earth to usher us into a nurturing space. Produced by acclaimed singer and songwriter Joe Henry, Grace is a stark reflection of Wright's sense of place and belonging that's deeply woven into the cultural fabric of America. Lizz offers one original, written for this record, plus inspiring interpretations of songs from Ray Charles, Bob Dylan & more.

A few years after the release of her fourth album with Verve, a gospel-themed set of reinterpretations titled Fellowship, Lizz Wright signed to the Concord label with an eye toward concentrating on original material. The vocalist made a connection with veteran multi-instrumentalist and producer Larry Klein and recorded Freedom & Surrender with a stable backing band that included drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, percussionist Pete Korpela, bassist Dan Lutz, guitarist Dean Parks, and keyboardists Pete Kuzma and Billy Childs. For most listeners, the change of label and mostly new set of supporting musicians will seem transparent. Like Wright's previous albums, Freedom & Surrender is graceful and exacting, yet those qualities come across in a fashion that does not seem deliberate – remarkable for material that draws from folk, blues, jazz, soul, and gospel and often fuses two or more of those genres. Longtime collaborator Toshi Reagon contributes only two songs, "Freedom" and "Surrender," but they neatly begin and end the album in spirited and assured form. David Batteau and Jesse Harris separately collaborated with Wright and sometimes Klein on the writing of seven selections.

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.

The 12-track gospel-tinged record features a number of traditional songs long held sacred by Wright alongside originals by guest performers Angelique Kidjo, Me'Shell Ndegéocello, Joan as Policewoman and social activist and songwriter Dr. Bernice Reagon, among others. Produced by Brian Bacchus, Fellowship is the follow-up to Wright's 2008 record The Orchard, which "CBS News Sunday Morning" declared "one of the best albums of the year" while the Los Angeles Times called it "a creative breakthrough for Wright, whose smoldering, sensual voice now has a vision to go with it"...