Carolina Theater at The Carolina Theatre of Durham

Through an inimitable voice that “The New York Times” touts as, “a smooth, dark alto possessed of qualities you might associate with barrel-aged bourbon or butter-soft leather,” Wright sings with a soaring reflection of the cultural fabric of America. She lies beneath the script of human history transcending social divides with an offer of love and deep sense of humanity. Her music accepts the beauty of reality and a collective experience of belonging. For the listener, Wright’s songs embody a tradition that allows us to always feel at home.

Wright culls inspiration from her Southern upbringing in Georgia where she was the musical director of a small church in which her father was the pastor. Gospel music, and the call and response singing with the church congregation, informed her first brushes with music while soon she would traverse the “Great American Songbook” on her path to an illustrious singing career....

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Through an inimitable voice that “The New York Times” touts as, “a smooth, dark alto possessed of qualities you might associate with barrel-aged bourbon or butter-soft leather,” Wright sings with a soaring reflection of the cultural fabric of America. She lies beneath the script of human history transcending social divides with an offer of love and deep sense of humanity. Her music accepts the beauty of reality and a collective experience of belonging. For the listener, Wright’s songs embody a tradition that allows us to always feel at home.

Wright culls inspiration from her Southern upbringing in Georgia where she was the musical director of a small church in which her father was the pastor. Gospel music, and the call and response singing with the church congregation, informed her first brushes with music while soon she would traverse the “Great American Songbook” on her path to an illustrious singing career.

At the age of 22, Wright made a name for herself nationally as a vocalist with a touring concert tribute to Billie Holiday, where her poised performance stole the show. At 23, she signed with Verve Records for the release of “Salt,” which topped Billboard’s contemporary jazz charts. Her subsequent albums (“Dreaming Wide Awake,” “The Orchard,” “Fellowship,” and “Freedom & Surrender”) continued to top the charts with her single “Lean In” (from “Freedom & Surrender”) landing on President Obama’s “2016 Summer Playlist.” Produced by Americana icon Joe Henry, Wright’s latest full-length studio recording, “Grace” (Concord Records; 2017), reveals the web of deep running roots of story and song that bind together the vastly diverse traditions that are the soul of the American South.

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