Singer-songwriter Lizz Wright came on stage at the August Wilson Center For African American Culture and just sang her heart out. Plain and simple.
Her performance as part of the ongoing Kente Arts Alliance concert series was not a disappointment but thoroughly enjoyable. Her set consisted of about 10-13 songs including a reflective encore.
Wright made her Concord Records debut, “Freedom & Surrender” on Sept. 4. The album was produced by Larry Klein, best known for his work with Joni Mitchell, Madeleine Peyroux and Tracy Chapman. Joining Wright on the studio sessions were drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, bassist Dan Lutz, percussionist Pete Korpela, guitarists Dean Parks and Jesse Harris; and keyboardists Kenny Banks, Pete Kuzma, and Billy Childs. In addition, David Batteau collaborated with Wright in the songwriting process.
Wright who grew up in rural Georgia, was exposed to great Black music from the very beginning singing in the church. Her current repertoire reflects that music and other genres such as hip-hop and folk-rock.
She first came to our view with her earlier work with the late Joe Sample and her critically acclaimed recording, “Salt.”
Performing tunes from her current release “Freedom & Surrender,” Wright was joined onstage with Chris Rosser, Brandon Temple, Nick D’Mato and David Cook. On a side note, Cook a Columbus native, is fresh off the road touring with Taylor Swift. His proud mother beamed as her son put on a stellar performance on keyboards. Wright started off with the classic “Nature Boy” as she stated she wanted to be loved and loved in return. The exchange between the drummer and herself was something to experience aurally and visually.
Wright was highly reflective as she talks about the circuitous dance between the beginning and the end. “Something amazing and terrifying happened to me as I entered into my 30s,” she said. “ I realized that I had run far off the course of my scripted plans, my projections for who I’d be, what I’d be doing, and how it would feel at this point. Then, the realization the mapped trail couldn’t be recovered. A hound without a hunt, I was captured by unfamiliar woods far from earshot of the original game and players. Untethered by marriage with a scrap pile of maternal designs that never took root, I found myself forced, thank goodness, to let go.” And let go she did. Standout selections from the evening included “Morning Glory,” the traditional Gospel song “Walk With Me,” Neil Young’s “Old Man,” “Somewhere
Down the Mystic,” “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” (to be released as a single), “Freedom” and “To Love Somebody.”
A great concert on a plain and simple evening.
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