Searching for Lizz Wright’s groove
June 23rd, 2008 by David Lee Simmons in Backstage Pass
On Friday night, I had the chance to be reminded of all the reasons why I love Lizz Wright, who I profiled in this week’s issue in anticipation of last Friday’s performance at Center Stage. Wright, a Hahira native who attended Georgia State University and performed around town before moving on, is out touring on her third (and best) CD, The Orchard. But the performance also reminded me of the reasons why I believe the best is still yet to come for this 28-year-old marvel who often draws comparisons to Norah Jones (for better or worse).
Wright must be a delight to work with in the studio. It’s probably no coincidence that they now share the same producer, Craig Street, who seems to have a gift for matching vocalists with talented session musicians and songs to cover. And sure enough, The Orchard boasts some wonderful re-workings of everything from Ike & Tina Turner’s “I Idolize You” to Led Zeppelin’s “Thank You.” (Fans may also recall her brilliant reworking of the ’60s anthem, “Get Together,” actually titled “Everybody Get Together,” popularized by the Dave Clark Five.) Technically speaking, Wright is arguably as proficient as any alto out there, and that includes another to whom she’s compared, Cassandra Wilson. She can wring vibrato from the lowest, huskiest notes without every sounding flat or without resonance, and she almost never cheats on a note. She has an uncanny ability to fill her tones with the kind of warmth that make altos such a delight. And she almost never, ever tries to over-sell a song.
But in a weird way, this last strength in the studio seems to become a weakness when she performs live, because Wright tends to hold back in a way that leaves the audience wanting more. Now, take this as one cynic’s opinion; I’d argue a solid majority of the Center Stage audience would disagree with me. But from the moment she took the stage to her encore, Wright barely made an attempt to connect with her obviously appreciative audience, or to take a song to another level — beyond the studio version.
At one point, she asked how the audience was doing, and fumbled through a sincere speech about feeling so filled with emotion being back in Atlanta that she couldn’t put it into words. So she let her songs do the emoting, which would have been great if she had decided to loosen up some more and swing for the fences every now and then.
Instead, we heard faithful versions of songs, and if there was any “zing” to the proceedings, they came from what felt like too-frequent guitar solos as Wright happily disappeared into the background. She still found the bluesy vibe of the Turners’ “I Idolize You,” and her a cappella intro to Sweet Honey in the Rock’s “Hey Mann” left goose bumps. Dressed barefoot in her long black skirt, white blouse with plunging neckline and sometimes wrapped in a black shawl, she’d stand there at the mic, her right hand patting against her thigh to the rhythm. In a quite moment before launching into Neil Young’s “Old Man,” the audience laughed when a lone fan burst out with, “Yeah, girl!”
But with so many ballads and barely anything rising to the level of mid-tempo, the evening turned almost too comfortable. She came back for her encore and ripped into the one song you can totally dance to, “My Heart,” and I was reminded of her comment during our interview that she initially didn’t like the poppy vibe of the song when her collaborator, Toshi Reagon, first presented it to her. (Message to Ms. Reagon: Keep ’em coming!) After two songs, Wright mumbled a goodnight and was gone.
Atlanta neo-soul singer Heston got the crowd warmed up with his sublime set, which also didn’t fret too much about getting people moving in their seats. This was my first time hearing the Dominica native on stage, and while he too sports a delightful voice, his fondness for the upper registers a la Marvin Gaye and Al Green take something away from his more traditional soul delivery. But regardless, you can tell the audience was behind him, as well as the former Atlanta resident Wright. There’s no doubt Lizz Wright is a formidable artist. I’m just hoping she can build on the strengths of The Orchard, get a little more down and dirty, and display a little more of the boldness we’re sure she’s capable of.
(Photo by Vincent Soyez)
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