Many reviews on Amazon -- and yes, myself guilty -- tend to lean towards fan-mail. You keep a watch out for your favourite artists, buy their cd's as they are released and write a review tell the world how truly fantastic the artist and music are. And by inference, your own taste in music. So let me start by saying that I do have a weakness for Lizz Wright. Don't expect a cool unbiased review. Her earlier albums have been spinning and spinning on my cd-player. Not just because of her voice, her phrasing and tone that she combines so beautifully and effortlessly. In this she is not alone, there are many good singers with fine material out there. But there is something special about Lizz Wright that makes her stand out. Hard to put the finger on but it could be her seeming to take her lyrics so seriously, giving the impression of living or having lived them. Of wishing to tell. As a result you feel compelled to listen, and listen with attention, to what she wishes to say and convey. It just works, and this (almost) irrespective of the quality of the lyrics. If you lend her -- and her co-musicians -- your full attention you will more often than not be richly rewarded. This record is no exception. At first listen it even sounds stronger than her previous work, and that is saying quite something. Hey Mann a personal favourite along with Ike Turner's old Idolize-hit. The rest of the songs I let others comment on. Give Lizz Wright a try if you haven't yet heard her sing. It may not be your thing but you just may get hooked. And why not start with this her latest cd, a cd that I have not -- I realise -- really reviewed. But what did you expect from a biased fan?
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