Review

James F. Wright's voice is sweet and grainy, all raw sugar.

Wright enjoys "story songs." He's at ease with a guitar in his hands. He's gone to great lengths to develop a unique voice and style.

He recently sunk a great deal of time, talent and capital into a CD that he hopes will pay off big time. And big time means more than Utah. He's looking at the world.

To increase the chances of that, Wright has assembled a garden variety of songs for this CD that will appeal to a variety of tastes. The album is called "The Captain" the title cut with the potpourri of material loosely held together by a nautical theme. There is the song "Ship of Dreams," with words by Senator Orrin Hatch and music by the respected Christian tunesmith, Lowell Alexander. "Watching the River Run," a catchy Loggins & Messina number is included, as is "Overboard," a song by three of country music's most noteworthy songwriters, T. Graham Brown, Wayland Holyfield and Verlin Thompson.

"The Captain" was written by Wright's sister, Karolyn Kay Danielson. For good measure, Wright has also slipped in several of his personal compositions, including the touching tribute "Like a Man," and a reprise of his signature composition, "Roses." Hatch adds another number, "If Only," to the mix.

Greg Hansen did the arrangements, adding some nice Celtic-sounding hornpipe to the accompaniment. And Wright's corps of back-up people is strong, featuring names like Mike Dowdle, Felicia Sorenson and Roger Hoffman.

It's music the singer has called "power folk music." This is Wright's third album. "Legacy of Harmony" and "Familiar Strangers" garnered good reviews, but didn't make a significant commercial splash. That may change with "The Captain." For one thing, Wright has been through plenty of trials and errors now a decade on the road with three different bands, and his voice feels more wizened and wise. Add to that a new romance and new direction in life and you get the freshness. For a pro, singing is never about melodies, it's about your life, where you've been and what you've been. The best the Sinatra's and, yes, the Rogerses can lay every tragedy and triumph into a phrase. Wright has been learning that craft for years. He now has it down. "I don't know," he says, "maybe my time is coming." Or maybe, it's already here.

Jerry Johnston Deseret News 22 Sept. 2002

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