Croon Cry & Testify

This is an intimate recording, soul 'chamber music'. The uncluttered background makes it sound as though Wright is singing only to you. And he can sing. The man has range (check out Gamble and Huff's, 'United'), credibility (taking on 'Good Morning Heartache') and dramatic flair (in classic, 'Rainy Night In Georgia' he goes from a whisper to a shout lickety-split. Growing up in a 3 generation household in gritty Troy, N.Y., Wright started studying piano at 7...and also sleeping with a transistor radio under his pillow. Loving to dance and so loving Motown (Yes, B. Gordy's dream became our given: Motown WAS the music of young America, and there are Temps and Vandellas covers here) he also absorbed the melodious British Invansion and the popular music of the previous 2 generations. There's Hoagey Carmichael ('The Nearness of You') here, and 1930's 'Body and Soul'. As a teenager, piano-based singer / songwriters, Laura Nyro and Carole King in particular, exerted a strong influence. And who could escape the pull of Billie, Aretha or Nina Simone? Wright's love of song is broad, and his personal involvement with the lyric makes each song immediate and real. He's been playing Cape clubs for nearly 20 years (and parties, weddings and memorial services) which is to say he's experienced... in all sorts of ways...and sounds it. In the age of karaoke and big band poses,it's good to hear the saloon singer in his prime; laid-back or world weary,often raspy 'round the edges,communicating real,human emotion : love,longing, joy and regret...and not into the mirror,but to us. Welcome Mr. Wright.