Lizz Wright is in my opinion a modern Sarah Vaughan with hints of modernesque influences. The problem comes in pigeonholing her music. Clearly I can write the words Soul, Folk, RnB, Jazz, Blues, Gospel, and that Lizz sings proudly from an African American heritage but Lizzs music does not sit well in any one of these categories. More she is the product of all of these things and arguably much better than the sum of those parts! Dreaming wide awake and Salt her two previous albums were fabulous offerings that clearly demonstrated the extraordinary talent of her gift.
Lizz was apparently heavily influenced by gospel and on this album you can hear that throughout the Orchard with tracks like "coming home" being a clear example. However Lizz touches into the modern with "my heart" a great crossover into a contemporary music genre . However in my opinion Lizzs' talents are clearly entrenched in her more gospelish / bluesy offerings such as hey mann and I idolise you which could not be sung as well by any other living female vocalist. I am a musician and liten to lizz as she gives me a light to my shade, a balance to my aggressive side and a still to my madly frenetic energy. If you are someone that yearns for a modern voice that delivers silk and velvet tones with sensitivity and an incredible grace then Lizz should be at the top of your list. The Orchard is given 4 stars as it is in reality a 4.5 stars for me -near perfection but not quite. This is only her 3rd album though so watch her space!!
