Lizz Wright, the warm and wondrous purveyor of songs with a gospel-soul-jazz-pop pedigree all her own, has scored some of her career-lubing coups on the contemporary jazz (a k a “smooth jazz”) format. But don’t hold that against her: the “smooth vocals” subchannel of that watered-down musical world was always its strongest suit.
A Georgia-born product of the church, with a minister father, Wright came out swinging in her refreshingly tasteful and subtle way with her breakout albums Salt (2003) and Dreaming Wide Awake (2005). She continued her unique way with reframed covers — including Ike Turner’s “I Idolize You” and Led Zeppelin’s “Thank You” on The Orchard (2008) and leaned into her gospel roots, with lived-in cred, on Fellowship (2010).
Subsequently, Wright has plunged into the epicurean world, studying at the New York–based Natural Gourmet Institute and launching her own Carver47 restaurant in Chicago. But her music life continues, thankfully. She released the fine album Shadow (hear here ) on her own Blues and Greens label in 2024. A highlight on the song list is her duskily glowing rendition of literally timeless classic “Who Knows Where the Time Goes?”