Music Crowns is proud to premiere Awakening, the eighth and most personal release from acclaimed New York City-based jazz vocalist and songwriter Lizzie Thomas. This nine-song collection is a genre-defying journey that seamlessly blends neo-soul, jazz, and vocal pop, marking a daring new chapter in Thomas’s celebrated career.
Recorded at the legendary Powerstation in NYC and featuring the Grammy-winning Harlem String Quartet, Awakening redefines Thomas’s sound—trading the traditional upright bass for electric, and bringing the B3 Hammond organ to the forefront. The result is an album that radiates warmth, soul, and modern edge while breaking free from the constraints of the Great American Songbook.
“I finally gave myself permission to proclaim my voice,” Thomas shares. “This album is about unlearning what you were taught and waking up to the realization of who you really are— that life is not only offering you a second chance, but daring you to go after your dreams.” That sense of liberation infuses every track, from the self-love manifesto This Love to the hypnotic title track Awakening, anchored by the mantra, “Harmony restores abundance.”
Thomas’s songwriting is uniquely intuitive—many of her lyrics and melodies arrive in dreams, meditative states, and moments of stillness. This clairaudient process gives the album its intimacy and sense of mystery. Highlights include Magnificent, a soulful affirmation of life’s cyclical beauty; the haunting Home, inspired by a nighttime vision of her late mother dancing as a spectral figure; and This Fire, a passionate call for unity, hope, and transformation.
Having worked alongside jazz luminaries such as Ron Carter, Russell Malone, John Di Martino, Wayne Escoffery, Helio Alves, and Neal Smith, Lizzie Thomas has long been one of NYC’s most respected vocal talents. With Awakening, released August 8th on GODDESS Legacy Records, she steps fully into her artistry—not just as a singer, but as a composer, producer, and storyteller. This is more than an album; it’s a rebirth, and Music Crowns is honoured to share its first light.
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