The confident and polished Lizz Wright album Shadow features collaborations in terms of the songwriting and performance, with guest appearances from Angelique Kidjo, Meshell Ndegeocello and Brandee Younger.

If you’ve listened to this album once, please listen to it again - there’s so much depth to the compositions, to the performances and to the production.

Opening track Sparrow features additional vocals from Angelique Kidjo before the second track - Your Love - bursts in with bass from Meshell Ndegeocello and Brandee Younger’s harp. This was the track that Wright rightly selected as the second single, following the October 2023 teaser Sweet Feeling. This album has a great selection of original tracks and covers, with a particularly beautiful rendition of the Cole Porter I Concentrate on You with a string quartet that combines perfectly with Wright’s vocals, electronic drums and acoustic guitar.

Watch a lovely live performance of Your Love here.

There is a real class to Wright’s first album on her own label, Blues & Greens Records. She’s taking a step forward into the spotlight and taking control with each individual track on Shadow. Her label aims to position artists to build sustainable and wholesome careers, creating a healthy ecosystem for artists as it uplifts and places humanity at the heart of the music business.

In the liner notes Wright explains why Shadow is dedicated to Mrs Martha Gray: “It finally came to be my turn to lose a defining love in my life, my grandmother Martha. Something about the way she loved me gave me the backbone to stand and sing in front of rooms of strangers all these years and never feel alone.”

So, please do listen to Shadow again. You will thank me.