Lizz Wright has been a special talent since her first Verve release, Salt. That disc was a masterful combination of blues, jazz, and modern American popular music that blew the doors off the myth of separation between jazz and traditional R&B music. Her followup, Dreaming Wide Awake, continued to follow this path, with less emphasis on traditional jazz singing and more of an atmospheric, dreamlike feeling.

Wright’s newest release The Orchard, makes it seem as though this is where she has been heading all along. Actually, that statement is a bit off-base, since it implies that her previous releases were somehow less integrated and accomplished, which is not the case. But The Orchard makes it clear that Wright is steeped the overall history of American music, with particular and appropriate attention to the role of African-American music in the overall development of American popular music.

As on Dreaming Wide Awake, Wright continues to work with songwriting collaborators Toshi Reagon and Craig Street, who also produced. Reagon is a roots musical performer steeped in not only the music but also the social and political zeitgeist of the 1960s and 1970s. Street has been working this territory since his work with Cassandra Wilson on her Blue Light ‘Til Dawn, his debut as a producer. He has also worked with k.d. lang, Chris Whitley, Javon Jackson, Chocolate Genius, Holly Cole, Jimmy Scott, Will and Charlie Sexton. The result of this collaboration is an album that puts Lizz Wright squarely in the position of inheriting Wilson’s mantle as an innovative singer who can bring the past and present together without regard for the artificial borders imposed by music marketing genres.

Almost all of the tracks here are original compositions that Wright co-composed with Reagon, Street, John Leventhal, or Dave Tozer. It’s telling that a singer as talented as Wright chooses to produce most of her own material. While jazz singers can get away with covering standards, composing your own work is a must-do in the popular music world, at least for acts that expect to stay around for awhile. The original material here is uniformly excellent, helped by Wright’s vocal work and contributions from a band that includes Chris Bruce, Toshi Reagon, guitarist Oren Bloedow, Olabelle’s Glenn Patscha on keyboards, Larry Campbell (of Dylan’s recent groups), and others.

The few covers here are well-chosen and executed, including the heavy blues workout by Ike Turner, “I Idolize You,” and a gorgeous, folky version of the Led Zeppelin classic “Thank You.” There’s also the whispered country-pop of the Fred Burch/Mel Tillis song “Strange,” included as a bonus track.

The Orchard continues Lizz Wright’s winning streak and makes her a talent to watch in American popular music.