The great American songbook gets revisited once more by Dwayna Litz. Of course everybody is doing that these days – even once great rockers like Rod Stewart - but Ms Litz neatly sidesteps the pitfalls of following the footsteps of so many others.
It helps that she isn’t trying to resurrect a career like so many competitors commercially desperate for the affections of those whose wallets can only be emptied by familiarity. The choice of songs on “Count Your Blessings” is, admittedly, pretty much what you expect and the arrangements run straight as an arrow too. Ms Litz, however, treats these songs as if she is on a mission with the surface eloquence – particularly on “Someone To Watch Over Me” – hiding a heartfelt affection for these songs. Even the big band stomper approach to “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter” fails to disturb her precise directional control and, likewise, “Cross Over The Bridge” illustrates that she is singer that takes the art of singing seriously.
So, Dwayna Litz does just fine here even if there are few surprises in her choice of material. That said, right at the end of this album there was a song called “He Looked Beyond My Fault” that seemed to cause Ms Litz to sonically soar. Although bare in its arrangement compared to the other songs, this was the star turn of the album in terms of emotional impact. At that point, the light of familiarity then shone brightly and, after a rummage through the dusty racks of vinyl, a copy of “Rise And Be Healed” by one – distinctly young – Dwayna Litz was unearthed. Gospel, it’s a lifestyle choice indeed.
This album is available from CD Baby.