Photo by Jesse Kitt
Lizz Wright will bring her rich and smoky vocals, regal poise, and mesmerizing songs back to the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center on Friday, Feb. 26.
This Georgia native has taken the jazz world by storm with her lovely combination of jazz, folk, gospel, pop, blues and soul. Wright has been called the most gifted interpretive vocalist of her generation. She has topped the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart and now delves more deeply into songwriting and expression. Ultimately, it is the voice, the stories told and the call to connect that transcend categorization and stir her audiences.
Her performance is set for 8 p.m. in UAB’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center, 1200 10th Ave. South. Tickets are $49. UAB students and faculty may purchase $25 tickets; a limited number are available for each ASC show. All members of the UAB family may receive a 20 percent discount on single tickets for all shows. Call 205-975-2787 or visit www.AlysStephens.org for more details.
Since her last visit to the ASC in 2009, Wright has released two albums, including the gospel-tinged “Fellowship” and the most recent, “Freedom and Surrender,” produced by Grammy-winning producer Larry Klein.
According to her bio, initially the album was supposed to be a disc of primarily cover songs, centered on the theme of the circuitous dance of love. Instead, it became the opposite, yielding captivating originals such as “Lean In,” “Real Life Painting” and “Right Where You Are,” featuring Gregory Porter. Equally admired as an interpreter of songs, Wright also turns her eyes toward Nick Drake’s “River Man,” the Bee Gees’ “To Love Somebody,” and bonus track Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.”
For her fifth project, supported by the brilliance, wisdom and friendship of Klein, Wright’s own fulfillment and enjoyment from the process are evident. She is gifted with an extraordinary instrument, and “Freedom & Surrender” allows Wright to illuminate her dynamic soul through the layers of passion and playfulness found within the songs.
div>