After watching American Idol I like to listen to music that is suits me more than what I hear on the TV. That could be something loud if they’ve been foolishly praising the rock bona fides of some wannabe crooner or it could be the original of something that one of the contestants massacred the night before. Whatever else it does, American Idol helps me appreciate my own record collection more by showing me how bad or cynically calculated music really can be. Not that there aren’t good performances on the show, of course, but the bulk of the stuff is one or another variety of bad.

After watching Chikezie go last night--not a bad choice, although it really should have been Ramiele--I’ve been listening to my Lizz Wright albums. Her voice is amazing and a few of her songs are amongst the most beautiful I’ve ever heard. For that matter, some of her covers are striking, too. You should hear what Zep’s “Thank You” when she’s done with it.

If I weren’t already in love with the most wonderful woman in the world, I’m pretty sure I’d be obsessed with Lizz Wright. Here’s her singing a live version of the gorgeous “Hit the Ground.”

If you like this, I highly recommend buying her albums The Orchard and Dreaming Wide Awake. And if you liked that, there’s a bonus video in the extended entry of her singing Joe Henry’s “Stop.” Madonna covered the song, too, but it’s better if we pretend that never happened.

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