Lizz Wright - The Orchard

2008 release

Vocalist Lizz Wright mixes jazz, gospel, and soul on "The Orchard", an intimate, intensely personal album that ranks among the most compelling of the artist’s career. With help from singer-songwriter Toshi Reagon, Marc Anthony Thompson (who records under the name Chocolate Genius), and members of Ollabelle, Calexico, and Bob Dylan’s band, Wright has created a beautiful, organic feel on "The Orchard"--one that is the perfect vehicle for her expressive voice and original songwriting vision.

Yet it is Wright herself that shines through most powerfully here, whether on stunning originals such as “When I Fall” or her treatments of Ike and Tina’s “I Idolize You” or Led Zeppelin’s “Thank You.”