Of all the sounds of jazz, the vocal is the most accessible because it is the most familiar and immediate reflection of emotion. The vocalist's art lies in the tension between the meaning of the lyrics and the intent of the singer. Since the sound of the voice is a direct expression of emotion it's commonly used to influence a song's meaning – it can deepen meaning, lighten meaning or alter meaning in a way that an instrumentalist cannot, for example, the use of irony, a characteristic of Billie Holiday's style, can cast a song's lyrics in wholly different light. Of course, there are jazz singers who use their voices as instruments, but staying with the interpretative aspects of jazz singing we see that some songs are a marriage of words and music that the best singers can charge in a way that an instrumental solo cannot. The ability to do this has to do with authenticity which has to do with the sound of a singer's voice – when a singer convinces us of their authenticity we buy into the emotional mood they are trying to create. This is why Dwight Trible is so convincing – the sound of his voice and the nuances he implies bring a deep meaning to the songs he sings. The repertoire he chooses on Inspirations was influenced by his concern at the depressing trend in world events post the Paris attack. Thus, this exemplary example of contemporary spiritual jazz contains titles such as ‘I Love Paris’, ‘What the World Needs Now is Love’, ‘Tryin’ Times' and ‘Dear Lord’ – his moving invocation using his own lyrics to John Coltrane's ‘Dear Lord’. Throughout Matthew Halsall balances the needs of the song and the emotional climate Trible creates and together create a moving album whose contemporaneity makes it all the more profound for that.