Willie Wright, the 1960's/70's Folk-Soul "mystery man" whose 1978 classic LP Telling the Truth was re-released in January 2011 on the prestigious archival label Numero Group, slipped quietly into Burlington, Vermont for a couple of weeks in May, 2011, joined by some lifelong local friends, to record his first studio album in more than 30 years. Currently coping with advanced Parkinsons, he said in an interview just before the recording sessions, “I can feel I’m losing it slowly, but I’m trying to hang on; that’s why we’re planning this session. That will be the last session I do. I’m not complaining. I’m just trying to speak the truth.” Wright, who has been compared to Bill Withers, as well as such hard-to-classify vocalists as Nina Simone and Arthur Alexander, is closer to a Bob Dylan or Tom Rush: a singer-songwriter with soulful stories to tell and powerful messages to deliver. As a composer, he is a minimalist, known for his stripped-down arrangements, unusual and arresting lyrics, and sweet vocals. Commenting on Telling the Truth, one recent reviewer called Wright’s voice “as smooth as warm butter." (A single from that album, "I'm So Happy," was featured as the “Song of the Day” on Good Morning America in May 2011.) Wright’s music is strongly influenced by his roots in Mississippi and Missouri, in the African-American musical tradition and also bears traces of the Cherokee heritage of his mother's family. His funky 1970 cover of Curtis Mayfield's "Right On Fo