My review in profile:
Lizz Wright warmed our winter weary souls with her silky, deep voice during the early set at the Dakota Jazz Club last night. She sprinkled her set with familiar songs from her recordings, covers, and a little gospel.
Her voice was all that I expected, and hearing it live for the first time was a treat. Her band was spot on. Even so, I left the performance wanting more. She is not an animated performer and sings with her eyes mostly closed, and I was sitting to the right of the stage, where I could only see her in profile. The sum total of these factors left me leaning in, trying to get more connected - to Wright and to her performance. She seemed tired, like this was just another gig on a long tour. Or perhaps she was saving her energy for the second set.
The audience was surprisingly middle aged and white. Is this her typical fan base or did the rather staid audience keep her a bit more tucked inside? A sharp contrast to Rachelle Ferrell's performance last year at the Dakota, where the audience was wildly diverse and packed with local singing talent. There the audience was offering up so much love that at one point Ferrell passed the mic out into the crowd and was delighted at the high octane singing offered back to her. We were with her and she was with us. That's the rare concert I yearn for and hoped for last night.
A quote from my review of that show:
The music was a conversation between Ferrell, her musicians, the audience, and the universe. We were of the music, in the music, together. From amazing turns on classics like "Summertime" to a bluesy song whose title I missed about someone getting off her neck and off her back, the air we collectively were breathing was infused with music created, interpreted for that moment only, for us, for her. Simply breathtaking.The Dakota offered seats for those who wanted to stay for Wright's second set, and after reading Jon Bream's review in the Star Tribune, I'm wishing I had taken them up on their offer. It sounds like she brought more of herself and her full-on gospel to the late night set, which would have been worth being short on sleep - but satiated - today.
Lizz Wright in profile, the view from my seat
Wow. Anne, we were defintely on a similar page!!!!!! So it wasn't just me! That is validating.
ReplyDeleteHer recordings are so much more heartfelt and real. I'm sorry you didn't get to experience her that way. But I give her grace for having an off night...jI can only imagine what it would be like doing show after show. Maybe she should take a break for a while, regroup and head out again.
On a different note, I had a very different experience with Rachelle Ferell. When Steph and I saw her at Dakota last year she absolutely blew us away, just as she does in her recordings. Patti Labelle has that same capability. And so do many others, no matter what genre of music they fall in. Yes...we were on a similar page. But don't give up on Ms. Wright just yet. She is worth giving a second try.
Ayanna
Wow we really did have similar experiences - at both performances! You are right that so many artists can and do bring it. I'm sure Lizz Wright can too. I haven't given up on her yet!
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