Macey J. Wright – The Intervention

Macey J. Wright

The opener, “7 x 70” is an obvious paean to forgiveness, but Wright relates painful life-like stories that demonstrate just how difficult, and how critical, forgiveness is. The jazzy “If I Knew the Lord” finds Wright contemplating how much richer her life would be if she walked in the pathway of righteousness.

The album’s music is a bit of a passing parade of styles, but Wright stays mostly in the neo-soul vibe, though she waxes urban R&B, and even raps for a minute, on “Love Note.” Hats off to pianist/accompanist Christian Dentley, who changes performance styles like a chameleon depending on the musical mood: from pop-rock (“Mighty God”) to jazz (“If I Knew the Lord”) to semi-classical (“Miracles on the Sea”).

“Can You Use Me” and the spritely “Mighty God,” with their pop sensibilities, are the current singles, but the album’s magnum opus is “Miracles on the Sea.” Here, Wright gets in touch with her inner Alicia Keys on a track that is just singer and piano, and gospel always sounds best that way. The song’s melody and lyrics – Wright is safe on the shore because God is on the water keeping the storm at bay – are attention-grabbing in their poignancy and simple beauty.

If there is one adjustment to make, it would be to move the dramatic, dreamlike “The Intervention” from the end to the middle of the album, where the songs that follow would augment its message of transformation.

Nevertheless, The Intervention is instantly listenable, the kind of album that those who don’t think they like religious music will take to.

Four of Five Stars

Picks: “Can You Use Me,” “Mighty God,” “Miracles on the Sea.”