Wendy Colonna

Artist Information

Biography

"Wendy Colonna is not just a singer-songwriter. . . she's a force of Nature" -Michael Corcran

Award-winning songwriter and performer, Wendy Colonna's music is a savory gumbo of southern soul and poetic lyricism borne of her rich Gulf Coast heritage. Her voice ignites both memory and desire.

Among her recent accolades, Wendy was voted "Best Singer Songwriter" in Austin (Austin American-Statesman), received Grand Prize the Famecast International Talent Competition and has won multiple songwriting awards.

Acclaimed producer Papa Mali joined Wendy in producing her latest album, "We Are One." Together they drew inspiration from the landscape and musical heritage of the American South. "We Are One" is a dynamic, contemporary listening experience and yet, timeless. These are songs of love, loss and transcendence stewed in swampy, soulful textures and rhythms.

*2010 NACA National Showcasing Artist
*Awarded First Prize (AAA/Alternative) of the 5th Annual International Acoustic Music Awards
* Winner of "Critics Pick" and "Fenom" on FAMECAST Competition
* "Best Singer Songwriter in Austin" -the Austin American-Statesman
* Featured on John Platt's "On Your Radar" Series, (WFUV, NYC)
* Winner of multiple songwriting contests including Indiegirl, Int'l Acoustic Music Awards, 100% Music, Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest
*Wendy's "Right Where I Belong" Featured in Central TX Time Warner Cable Advertising
* Selected "Best New Artist "by Jody Denberg (KGSR, Austin, TX)


"WE ARE ONE perfectly demonstrates Wendy Colonna's unceasing maturity as both songwriter and vocalist. Papa Mali appears to be just the sort of producer capable of capturing her incredible range in both areas - an ability to emote everything from gentle sweetness to belting it out like a full-blown, scorching Soul Queen."
- Cecil Doyle, KRVS, Lafayette LA

"Wendy Colonna was amazing! We found her flexible and easy to work with. She has a great energy and an amazing voice. Her song about Louisiana will get in your skin and stay with you a long time. We wouldn't hesitate to work with her again." - Barry S. McKinney, Director of Student Activities
The University of Texas at San Antonio

Instrumentation

Discography

We Are One (2010) Produced by Papa Mali
Old New Borrowed & Blue (Double Live Album/DVD) (2007)
Right Where I Belong, produced by Stephen Doster (2006)
Red, produced by Reese Perkins (2002)
Girls of Stone, produced by Perry Sanders & Michael Hutchinson (2000)

Links

• MySpace
• Twitter
• Facebook

Audio

• Shine
  Listen  
• Mojo Hannah
  Listen  
• Right Where I Belong
  Listen  
• Love Comes Once
  Listen  
• If I Had Posession Over Judgement Day
  Listen  
• We are One
  Listen  
• Your Parade (Live at Antone's)
  Listen  
• Right Where I Belong
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• Nothin Gonna Take My Love
  Listen  

Video

Wendy Colonna Live at Zach Scott Theater

Photo Gallery

Press

• KRVS, Lafayette, LA Review [+ Show ]
  

  "We Are One perfectly demonstrates Wendy Colonna’s unceasing maturity as both songwriter and vocalis..."We Are One perfectly demonstrates Wendy Colonna’s unceasing maturity as both songwriter and vocalist. Papa Mali appears to be just the sort of producer capable of capturing her incredible range in both areas – an ability to emote everything from gentle sweetness to belting it out like a full-blown, scorching Soul Queen.” The Austin American Statesman added, “Wendy Colonna is not just a singer-songwriter, she’s a force of nature.”

• San Antonio Express on "We Are One" [+ Show ]
  

  Austin-based, Louisiana-raised singer and songwriter Colonna is celebrating the release of her “We A...Austin-based, Louisiana-raised singer and songwriter Colonna is celebrating the release of her “We Are One” CD. Produced by Papa Mali, a kindred Texas/Louisiana spirit, the 12-song collection beautifully showcases Colonna’s soulful grit, her tender-tough abilities, her talents as a singer and as a songwriter and her collaborators, including her partner, guitarist Chad Pope, and producer Papa Mali. Colonna moves among love songs (“Love Comes Once”), topical commentary (“Hurricane”), New Orleans funk (“Mojo Hannah”) and deep blues (“If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day”) and makes those moves naturally.
  - Jim Beal Jr.

• The Songwriter's Craft [+ Show ]
  

  Some in the Lake Area will have been eagerly awaiting the release of We Are One, Wendy Colonna's fir...Some in the Lake Area will have been eagerly awaiting the release of We Are One, Wendy Colonna's first full-length CD in three years. Colonna traveled from her Austin home to give the record an official send-off in a CD release concert at Luna Bar and Grill on June 19.
  
  The CD has many, many references to sounds of the 1970s, 1960s and earlier — sock-it-to-me organ, Herbie Mann-style flute solos, Stax- and Vegas-style brass arrangements. To take just one example of how Colonna blends such elements, the mix of synth solo, chunka chunka disco guitar and harmonica in the cut "Love Comes Once" sounds as if it were taken straight from the soundtrack of a 1970s exploitation film.
  
  And that's good. I think the vocal delivery used on this record is one that became accessible to the public in the late 1960s by means of Janis Joplin and Tina Turner. While it's an exaggeration to say that Colonna's voice has a growl to it, it is forceful and sometimes slightly rough — a press release uses the word "sassy" — in an artful way.
  
  Colonna's new record is such that if it had dropped at any time during the 1970s, it would have been accepted without any problem. Still, it's not exactly a retro record. The reason is that there's much focus on the craft of songwriting here. Colonna belongs to that large group that gets tagged with the moniker singer-songwriter. Songs on this disc tend to be about four minutes long. And that's always four minutes of carefully developed and widely varied music. There's no resemblance to the pop music made of simplistic melodies in a verse-verse-chorus format, all of it tied together with lifeless musical bridges just meant to provide transition and take up time.
  
  Although the lyrics can be playful, they often take the form of thoughtful reflections on the sorts of experiences one has in intimate relationships. It's interesting that they cover a range running from disillusionment about said relationships to almost wild hope about them.
  
  It's curious that even with the record's many nods to the past, Colonna doesn't make many obvious references to music after the 1970s. You won't hear any snippets of New Wave or hip hop or what was called "alternative music." If I had to compare the sound of We Are One to that of anything else, I'd say it reminds me, in a very general way, of the Leon Russell and Dr. John records I listened to in the late 1960s and the 1970s. It's a kind of songwriting I identify with New Orleans, though, in fact, it may well be a sound that thrived throughout South Louisiana in general. The songs I'm thinking of draw from both blues and R&B and are substantial but accessible. (The press release I mentioned early refers to the music on Colonna's CD as one of "swampy, soulful textures and rhythms.")
  
  The CD closes with its strongest material. One of the last two cuts, "Heart of Darkness," is a somewhat somber and eerie drone, almost a keening. Whispered, indistinct vocals are layered over the kinds of exotic percussive sounds that used throughout the disc to splendid effect. "Heart of Darkness" is certainly the most experimental cut on the record.
  
  The melodies I found most moving were in the last cut, "All That I Am." The song is unique on the disc in having a strong country music inflection.
  Colonna's been named Best Singer Songwriter by the Austin American Statesman. That periodical called her "a force of nature." From the sound of things, forceful music is certainly in her nature. Learn more at www.wendycolonna.com or visit the Wendy Colonna page on My Space.

• Austin transplant comes home to release new CD that’s Louisiana inspired [+ Show ]
  

  Hurricane force winds are blowing in the new soulful album of Lake Charles native Wendy Colonna. ...Hurricane force winds are blowing in the new soulful album of Lake Charles native Wendy Colonna.
  
  Colonna and her band are scheduled to celebrate the release of her new album, “We Are One,” at 9:30 p.m. today at Luna Bar & Grill, 719 Ryan St.
  
  Colonna’s fourth album is a cohesive mix of funky blues that immediately carries you into the swampy sounds of Louisiana. The music is a mix of horns, funky oldschool organs and hard driving blues guitar that flow together with Colonna’s voice and lyrics for a category five storm.
  
  The album was produced by Shreveport native Malcolm “Papa Mali” Welbourne, who has produced such artists as Grammy-nominated Ruthie Foster. He is also an accomplished musician currently playing in the band 7 Walkers, which includes the Grateful Dead’s Bill Kreutzmann.
  
  Papa and Colonna draw from their Louisiana roots creating a sound that is deep fried in the heat from jukejoints and pool halls in the middle of a New Orleans August.
  
  A phone call started this first-time collaboration between Colonna and Papa, which began with weekly meetings spent listening to the music they loved. Every week they developed style and elements for the album before going into the studio on Labor Day 2009.
  
  “It was just this great, fun collaboration of just ‘what are your favorite licks’ and ‘what are your favorite textures’ from these records. We just built that around these songs that were ready to go," said Colonna.
  
  The album is inspired by the ’60s and the ’70s vibe complete with horns and a Wurlitzer electric piano. Colonna points out the music of 1971 and in particular Marvin Gaye’s “What's Going On” as a musical mile-marker. Although not a tribute album, Colonna wanted to create an album with the same mojo but in her own musical voice.
  
  To achieve that mojo, Papa and Colonna recorded the album using an analog 24-track board on two-inch tape then mixed it down to a quarter-inch tape ready to press into wax just like those albums in 1971.
  
  “We produced it just like all those old records. Using the 24-track board forces you to be creative in the production process,” said Colonna.
  
  “We Are One” captures Colonna’s talents as a songwriter and gives listeners a full immersion in the Louisiana musical mojo. Colonna hits her musical stride. The album is the Colonna album to own and one to grab in case of an evacuation.
  
  The album is available on iTunes and on her website, wendycolonna.com.

• Wendy Colonna 'We Are One' by Alex Daniel [+ Show ]
  

  Austinites, if you weren’t already, consider yourselves informed: Wendy Colonna has a serious set of...Austinites, if you weren’t already, consider yourselves informed: Wendy Colonna has a serious set of pipes. Over the course of three albums, the hometown singer has built a solid reputation with her sultry vocals, and her fourth release, “We Are One,” fits nicely with her repertoire of ‘70s inspired funk and soul. The blasting horns and bluesy organs throughout the album make it perfect for sweltering summer days - the kind of music best enjoyed at an outdoor venue with a cold, condensation-covered beer in hand.
  
  But “We Are One” isn’t entirely routine. From the slow-burning homesick blues of “Louisiana” to the gypsy jazz of “The One That You’ve Been Waiting For,” Colonna masterfully blends a colorful variety of genres while staying true to her Cajun roots. Still, the most refreshing part of the album might be the wise, uplifting lyricism sprinkled throughout. “Rain to river/Sweat and steam of your body/Ocean to rain and then back again/We are one,” the singer proclaims on the title track.

• Wendy Colonna Record Release Party Graces Our Local Music Scene [+ Show ]
  

  06/17/2010 by: Leslie Berman The most disappointing things about the live alternative and origi...06/17/2010
  by: Leslie Berman
  
  The most disappointing things about the live alternative and original music scene in Lake Charles are that it takes place in too few venues, and too few people know about it. Oh sure, the family and friends of individual artists and bands come out to local gigs wherever they happen, well-organized musicians do e-blasts on Facebook or their own mailing lists, and the press (including The Jambalaya News) offers listings with info about whatever the clubs send them about who’s playing when.
  
  But news about local bands is usually heard after the fact of well-attended events, when the gossip filters down through Facebook and Twitter posts, and photos with brief taglines appear in the scene-and-heard columns of our local papers. And I’ve noticed that it’s mostly the same faces time after time that are in the audiences for the great music I get around town to hear.
  
  One unfortunate side effect of the limited outlet for alternative and original music is that with so few places to play, artists don’t get much face time with audiences made up of strangers, which is absolutely necessary for artistic growth. How else will a performer learn to entertain and communicate with an audience, if s/he always preaches to the choir, and is never exposed to indifferent or even hostile faces?
  
  Sure, if you’re in a cover band, you’ve got loads of places to play, both public and private, and you can gauge your entertainment prowess by the speed in which the audience hits the dance floor. But if you’re in an alternative music group, you might not appeal to dancers anyway (I’m thinking, of course, of all kinds of alternatives – it’s obvious that a square dance or contra dance caller expects to play for dancing, and if you’re playing Celtic music, you’ll inevitably attract a few of those cute step dancers who do all their moving from the waist down, while their hands hang tensely along their sides, and their mouths wear a perpetual grimace of concentration).
  
  In fact, depending on what you’re doing – concertizing, arty performance stuff, odd-tempo jazz-fusion, moody ballads – you may not want an audience to distract you by dancing. So taking the stage at a local dance palace is not the place to practice your trade. So, where does a musician go to learn how to work a crowd?
  
  Most of our best and brightest alternative and original music artists go out of town. Oh, not to play a few gigs and then to return. No. They move on to cities with bigger alternative and original music scenes. And the better a musician is, the more likely it is that s/he’ll leave town right after building a local following.
  
  That’s what happened with Wendy Colonna, singer/writer and yoga instructor, who moved away to Austin, home of Whole Foods, UT, and the SXSW music and media extravaganza; where it’s almost impossible to walk downtown without bumping into a bunch of musicians at all hours of the day and night. Alongside El Lay, Nashville, and New York, there’s almost a palpable musicality to the streets of Austin, and Austin has been very, very good to Wendy Colonna.
  
  Over the years that I’ve been in Lake Charles, Colonna has come back regularly to play wherever someone is willing to showcase live acoustic music, and I’ve heard her new material whenever she’s released it. This time around, with the release of We Are One, her fifth record (which will be featured at a release party on June 18, at 9:30 p.m., at Luna’s on Ryan Street), I’ve found more than earnest and pleasant songs that made me hungry for more music an hour after listening. In fact, with Papa Mali’s production surprises, Colonna’s come up with an album I just might be able to dance to.
  
  Malcolm “Papa Mali” Welborne is an Austin-based blues and funk guitar and bass player with years of Louisiana roots music gigging and producing under his belt, and he’s used his ears to good effect on Colonna’s reflective songs of “love, loss and transcendence,” as they’re self-described.
  
  Using an earthy mix of soulful blues and country, the album’s dozen cuts chart familiar territory in new measures. I don’t know another woman apart from Bonnie Raitt who would have had the balls to cover Robert Johnson’s “If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day,” which Colonna does to a slide guitar and cymbal-heavy rhythmic roll that adds just enough electronic overtone to heavy-up the straightforward vocal arrangement.
  
  And there’s a smoky barroom sound that reminds me of Betty Boop’s slinky “St. James Infirmary Blues” on “Hurricane,” with its honky tonk piano and horn solos and throwback to the 40s vocals. Colonna’s recently been named best singer/songwriter by the Austin American-Statesman, and this time around, I’m going to agree with them, and go a step further. She’s the best singer songwriter to come out of Lake Charles, Louisiana, anytime in recent memory. Get down to Luna to hear her on the 18th and get yourself an earful of and a hand full of We Are One. More Wendy Colonna info on her Web site at www.wendycolonna.com.

• We Are One- Album Review by Rod Harrington at the El Dorado Times [+ Show ]
  

  If you’re a great soul singer, it really doesn’t matter your skin color. Think Louann Barton, Marcia...If you’re a great soul singer, it really doesn’t matter your skin color. Think Louann Barton, Marcia Ball, Tracy Nelson, Dusty Springfield, Jennifer Nettles, Janis Joplin or Bonnie Bramlett.
  
  Does it really matter that these soulful women happen to be Anglo and not African-American?
  
  Like I said, if you can sing you can sing. Add Austin, Texas, resident Wendy Colonna to that list. Her new CD is “We Are One” and is a great showcase for this talented Louisiana native.
  
  Colonna played a few gigs here in El Dorado but hasn’t visited in a while. She is busier than ever around Austin, however, as people love her depth, her passionate delivery and her versatility. Be it folk, rock or soul, Colonna is a rare talent.
  
  “We Are One” was produced Papa Mali and was recorded at The Nest Recording Studios in Austin. Several of the songs aren’t Colonna originals, but she sure delivers them as if they were.
  
  Right off the bat with “Mojo Hannah” one gets the idea Colonna is dipping back into Booker T & The MGs, Bramlett and other great soul artists. That kind of passion continues throughout the 12-track CD.
  
  Helping Colonna on the CD are Chad Pope on guitars, resonator, lap steel and vocals, Robb Kidd on drums, Mark Andes on bass, Matt Hubbard on keyboards, trombone and vocals, Greg Williams on sax and flute, Steve Zirkel on trumpet, Steve Bernal on cello, Leah Zeger on violin, Candice Sanders on vocals, Papa Mali on bass, guitar and vocals; Dave Madden on piano and vocals and Cyril Neville percussion.
  
  I love tracks such as “We Are One,” “Love Comes Once,” the Tom Waits-like “Pelican Waltz” and the haunting “Louisiana.” Her jazzy side comes out on “The One That You’ve Been Waiting For” while blues take over on “Is It True,” both of which feature acoustic guitars with thick, nasty bass.
  
  The best track on “We Are One” may be “Hurricane,” which Colonna wrote. This is as Southern as it gets: vivid pictures, instruments ranging from banjo to trombone, a comfortable shuffle beat. You’ll need a glass of tea or lemonade after hearing this one.
  The swampy rocker of “If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day” slithers right into “Heart of Darkness,” which again has a Waits feel with overdubbed voices, strange instruments and a feel straight out of south Louisiana.
  I’m a sucker for raw Colonna, just her and that incredible voice. The final track, “All That I Am,” is that kind of song. Just an acoustic guitar and light, tasty electric guitar in just the right spaces.
  Her voice is so strong on the final track that when light percussion comes in halfway through it about sends one over the edge.
  Colonna has been voted Best Singer Songwriter in Austin and won the Grand Prize in the Famecast International Talent Competition.
  One writer famously said a few years ago that “Colonna’s music is a savory gumbo of Southern soul and poetic lyricism borne of her rich Gulf Coast heritage. Evocative and powerful, her voice ignites both memory and desire.”
  Her website offers, “The inspiration for Wendy’s latest album ... is clear: you only truly know something when you’ve both lived it up close and viewed it from afar. That’s why this album isn’t a return to her Louisiana roots so much as it is a harnessing of those roots toward a new purpose – gathering up the ghosts and teaching them a new dance.”
  Cecil Doyle with KRVS in Lafayette said the CD “perfectly demonstrates Wendy Colonna’s unceasing maturity as both songwriter and vocalist. Papa Mali appears to be just the sort of producer capable of capturing her incredible range in both areas – an ability to emote everything from gentle sweetness to belting it out like a full-blown, scorching Soul Queen.” The Austin American Statesman added, “Wendy Colonna is not just a singer-songwriter, she’s a force of nature.”
  Colonna previously released “Red,” “Right Where I Belong” and the live CD “Old New Borrowed & Blue.” For details or to order the CD, visit http://wendycolonna.com/ on the Internet.
  (Roderick Harrington is weekend editor at the News-Times. E-mail him at rharrington@eldoradonews.com)

• The ladies take center stage at Boudreaux and Thibodeaux's [+ Show ]
  

  By Charlotte Guedry The residents of Baton Rouge love their music. They love to dance, to sing,...By Charlotte Guedry
  
  
  The residents of Baton Rouge love their music. They love to dance, to sing, and to let their hair down. Combine all of that with a little bit of art and some wine, and Baton Rouge has a real treat in store with the first ever Wine, Women and Song event at Boudreaux and Thibodeaux's on June 17th.
  
  The event will highlight the music of Wendy Colonna, Alexis Marceaux, Mary Lasseigne, Toni Otts and Ruby Rendrag. These Southern ladies have unique musical stylings, sure to whet everyone's appetite. Also on show will be the artwork of local artist, Jill Mulkey, who is steadily making a name for herself as an artist with exquisite visual representations.
  
  Karen Dean, Director of Music and Special Events at Boudreaux and Thibodeaux's, is bringing the concept to the public. "I'm always looking for ways to put together an experience that works for all of Baton Rouge, so what better way to compliment that than with a night of feminine, artistic energy," said Dean.
  
  The idea is a simple one. Dean used her talented background in the arts to turn the venue into a showcase for the women of our fair state.
  
  "Like the fictional characters, Boudreaux & Thibodeaux, our mission as an entertainment venue is to celebrate the joie de vivre of the Louisiana culture, the getting together with friends and family, dancing to all kinds of music, enjoying a good cup of gumbo and sipping on an icy cold beer. The quality of talent in south Louisiana is awe-inspiring."
  
  Dean is passionate about Baton Rouge, and the talent on offer. She hopes that the night is a success, and that the event will lead to many more of the same. Baton Rouge is a leader in events and festivals. The first ever Wine, Women and Song event hopes to take itself even further, and become a recurring event.
  
  "Deciding to produce a menage 'a trois of Wine, Women, and Song in the early part of summer, seemed like an event that the Capitol City would embrace. We're going to turn the air-conditioning down low, set up plenty of seating, have some delicious wines available for tasting, and set the mood for a memorable night of entertainment," said Dean.
  
  So what about the women who will be showcasing their talents on the night? Does being a Louisiana artist add some element of style?
  
  Wendy Colonna certainly thinks so. "I'm from a Cajun family that cooks and laughs and can peel crawfish and shoot the breeze all day long. My grandparents had a sprawling farm with soybeans, rice fields, crawfish ponds and live oaks that dripped with Spanish moss and canopied the yard. Many of my songs are written to capture the humidity and swagger of late afternoons in Louisiana inside a story."
  
  Alexis Marceaux agrees that life in Louisiana is an enormous influence on her music. "Living in Louisiana, especially in the city of New Orleans, has shaped a huge part of my music. Being surrounded by great musicians to collaborate with and amazing venues to play in has encouraged me to keep trucking on."
  
  The talented women performing on the night will be the first to bring this event to the public, and the importance of their participation as both women and performers is evident.
  
  "Karen Dean invited me to come and perform for the Wine Women and Song event after a show one weekend. I do hope it becomes a regular event in order to give female songwriters in Louisiana a venue to showcase their talents. I am a transplant to Louisiana from Nashville, and am thrilled that the people of Baton Rouge and the surrounding areas have accepted me and my music with open arms," said Toni Otts.
  
  "It shocks me that there is STILL an attitude from some people in regards to females playing music. Some convey to me their feelings of it being superficially cute, or sexy. I do look forward to a day where females creating and performing music is appreciated for the insight and artistry involved, rather than it being perceived as being 'cute' on the surface. Joan Jett would kick someone's ass for calling her cute," said Mary Lasseigne.
  
  It doesn't matter if you go for the wine, the women, or the songs. All that matter is that you go. Louisiana is home to some wonderful musical talent, and on Thursday, June 18th, these women are going to shine.
  
  For more information on the Wine, Women and Song event, visit either www.bandtlive.com, or www.tigerweekly.com. The event begins at 7pm. The music and art is free, but tickets are $10 at the door for the wine tasting.
  
  Originally Published: June 16, 2010

• Wendy Colonna "Old New Borrowed & Blue" 2007 [+ Show ]
  

  Wendy Colonna is hot, no question, but the Austin singer-songwriter's considerable musical talents m...Wendy Colonna is hot, no question, but the Austin singer-songwriter's considerable musical talents make her sassy sexuality secondary — perhaps an even greater achievement. With smoky vocals that call to mind Norah Jones or Joan Osborne, Colonna's expansive musical domain encompasses rock, soul, jazz and blues, making her something of an all-purpose woman.
  
  That versatility can be heard — and seen — on her new release Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue: Live at Antone's. A sprawling package of two music CDs and one live DVD recorded at the venerable club (plus interviews), it finds Colonna backed by her regular band as well as an ensemble of local musicians. While we don't get to see a demonstration of her reputed mad kickboxing skills along with her guitar playing, the project is one that should elevate Colonna's status regionally, if not nationally.

• Texas Platters, Wendy Colonna "Old New Borrowed & Blue" [+ Show ]
  

  Wendy Colonna's extensively packaged Old, New, Borrowed, & Blue is an ambitious undertaking: two CDs...Wendy Colonna's extensively packaged Old, New, Borrowed, & Blue is an ambitious undertaking: two CDs and a DVD recorded live at Antone's. It's also a risky one with a touch of overkill in the DVD, where she's styled like a Mucha nymph, since Colonna is a relative newcomer without the local history that usually accompanies live recordings. Yet the Louisiana native possesses a smoky, alluring voice, and her impressive songwriting dominates the recordings; all but two songs are hers. Colonna chisels her finely faceted gems in "Girls of Stone," "Coffee Today," "Hold Me Tight," and "Thunder" and does so with panache and confidence.
  
  It's little coincidence that the title track of her last CD, Right Where I Belong, was picked up by Toni Price on her latest recording, because if it feels like there's a hole in Austin's musical psyche left by Price's departure, Wendy Colonna is the one most likely to fill it.

• Wendy Colonna Live! [+ Show ]
  

  Talk about ambitious. Wendy Colonna, from Austin by way of Lake Charles, La., is celebrating the rel...Talk about ambitious. Wendy Colonna, from Austin by way of Lake Charles, La., is celebrating the release of "Old, New, Borrowed & Blue: Live at Antone's," a two-CD/one-DVD package recorded live at the storied Austin club.
  
  Colonna is a fearless performer with an excellent voice and plenty of songwriting talent who brings together rock, blues, funk, soul and whatever else she believes fits. The result is an energetic brand of music that'll tug heartstrings and move shoestrings in equal measure. Songs such as "Bound to Fall," "Right Where I Belong" and "Coffee Today" proves Colonna has chops to match her ambition.

• Wendy Colonna's Triple Play [+ Show ]
  

  Singer-songwriter Wendy Colonna thought she was pitching a nice little concept when she suggested th...Singer-songwriter Wendy Colonna thought she was pitching a nice little concept when she suggested that Music & Entertainment Television, the Austin-based Central Texas music channel, start doing some “little baby interview clips” to splice into their “ME Live!” performance series. Then they asked her if she’d want to make a recorded-live DVD with just the sort of interview segments she’d suggested.
  
  Colonna, who turned 30 on Sept. 30, had no idea she’d be diving into the biggest project of her life. Old, New, Borrowed & Blue: Live at Antone’s, done as a pilot project for ME TV combines an 11-clip DVD and a 22-track double CD.
  
  “It’s different than going into the studio and cuttin’ until you get a really groovy track,” explains the Lake Charles, LA native, who moved to Austin seven years ago. “And it’s different than rehearsing for a show, where you play and then it’s like, ‘I’m on. And here’s the art we made and now it’s gone.’ It’s like, ‘Here’s the art we’re making live, and here it is again.’ So we worked really hard to get it really succinct and have all the arrangements just be stellar and have all the vocal parts just really shine.”
  
  For ME TV, the project will serve as a marketing tool to attract other artists for similar packages. For Colonna, it might be the launching pad she’s been looking for.
  
  She used the opportunity to re-record songs from her out-of-print first album, 2003’s Red, including “Hey,” “Hold Me Tight” and “Girls of Stone,” and some fleshed-out tunes from her shoestring-financed second album, last year’s Right Where I Belong. The live set also features several new cuts that show Colonna’s creative range: from pensive, vulnerability-baring ballads and “moody, epic stories” to jazzed-up pop and R&B to strong-woman soul (and (soulfulness) in a voice that goes from dusky to Dusty- and other ladies whose influences you’ll recognize.

• Right Where I Belong TX Music Magazine [+ Show ]
  

  Austin's Wendy Colonna is shrewdly urban, surprisingly hip and she's got a coquettish, bluesy Joan O...Austin's Wendy Colonna is shrewdly urban, surprisingly hip and she's got a coquettish, bluesy Joan Osbourne thing working. For someone so young, she also has a gift for complex, adult-situation lyrics. A bit dark and boozy, Colonna's Husky voice oozes that warm, languorous Rita Coolidge delta spirit and, with savvy players like guitarist Wayne Sutton (Patrice Pike) and keyboardist, Cole el-Saleh (Carolyn Wonderland) in the studio lineup, the Lake Charles native packs plenty of pleasing southern funk and big beat bounce into originals like "Mayday" and "Sail On."
  
  The bigger the arrangement, the brighter Colonna seems to shine. Driving tracks like "Does it Satisfy," which feature sultry Ephriam Owens, trumpet, seem like perfect vehicles for Colonna's full-throated vocals. Nevermind that these aren't sing-in-the-shower-after-the-first-listen ditties; Colonna's smart and sure, and she stretches things. She has to be given time to sink in but when she does, she will set a hook deep in your ear – Right where She belongs.
  
  

• ATown Records review of Right Where I Belong [+ Show ]
  

  This CD starts with the track "Easy," which gets your attention from the get-go. The first part is t...This CD starts with the track "Easy," which gets your attention from the get-go. The first part is the odd rhythm supplied by drummer Eldridge Goins. At first I thought it was wrong, or I heard it wrong- but then I backed it up and realized that it was very right. It might catch you off guard, but it grows on you and fits the song perfectly. That's the hallmark of a great drummer, he lets the song pull the rhythm from him, rather than just forcing a rhythm he already knows into the song. "Easy" is a haunting and peculiar song that grows on you and becomes addictive. And if you're a singer songwriter like Wendy is, it's best to just knock the ball out of the park on the first track. That being said, imagine the beautiful Louisiana songstress as she walks the bases- like so many clubs in Austin- to home plate.
  
  The fourth track "Coffee Today" is on par with Carole King's "So far Away." It relates to the feelings of loneliness sometimes brought on by a simple event, like stopping by for coffee. It has a rainy Sunday feeling about it, that rare moment on the sofa when the world stops and a bittersweet feeling washes over you, and you realize the day won't last forever. "Does it Satisfy" shines with the help of local trumpet hero Ephraim Owens.
  
  Wendy shows a great deal of promise as a songwriter and lyricist. She has a knack for riding the line between joy and despair, euphoria and melancholy. As a vocalist she is sultry, passionate and very consistent. Her time spend with close personal friend (and more) Guy Forsyth- has been a great influence. (Or perhaps, Wendy has been a great influence on Guy?)
  
  The "A" list of Austin talent along for the ride includes Forsyth, Carolyn Wonderland, Warren Hood, Cole el Saleh, Leslie Mccurdy, Su Walenta Hunt, Wayne Sutton, and Ephraim Owens. Rounding it out and adding his personal stamp of quality is producer Stephen Doster, who in my opinion can do no wrong.
  
  
  
  

• Right Where I Belong [+ Show ]
  

  (4½ out of 5) Wendy Colonna offers a tonic for those who remember Aretha, Marvin, and Stevie maki...(4½ out of 5)
  
  Wendy Colonna offers a tonic for those who remember Aretha, Marvin, and Stevie making meaningful albums that helped weave the socio-sonic tapestry of a generation for those who cringe when they hear Joss Stone hailed as the most "precociously gifted" soul singer of her era (seriously). If you too are wondering, "Whither soul music?" R&B that shoots from the soul and aims at the heart Louisiana born Colonna points the way.
  
  Occasionally young artists recall the glory of yesteryear's Detroit and add a little something new artists like India.Arie, whose debut Acoustic Soul borrowed from Stevie and injected a post hip-hop sensibility with a folk-ish lilt. With her Right Where I Belong, a disc bound to please disaffected soul-survivors and win over new fans too, Colonna joins Arie center stage.
  
  The guitar slinging Austin, Texas transplant similarly borrows from others Dusty Springfield's Dusty In Memphis and Carole King's Tapestry spring to mind; and she too adds her own ingredients to the stew, including a spoonful of bluesy swamp rock and a hint of a Texas twang. (That's no surprise Colonna's too-large-to-shout-out session crew reads like a who's who of Austin's musical in-crowd.)
  
  Colonna sets the tone for all that follows with the chugging funk of "Easy", the first of eleven self-penned numbers, clearly juxtaposing the human capacity for darkness against the brilliance of, severally, the natural world, her wonderful tune-smithing, and her stunning voice an instrument that never sounds stretched and always sounds sexy. No matter how crappy things might seem, she counsels, just Step outside and watch the day go by / It's easy to believe / The breeze is high, the sky's on fire / It's easy to believe.
  
  The rest of Right Where I Belong flows in the voice of a mature musician, who as the title suggests is confident of her place among things. Other standouts include the delightful "May Day", the gentle "Right Where I Belong", and the dirge-like gospel of "Nothin Gonna Take My Love"; but to pick just these four seems churlish, as none of the remaining seven can fairly be described as anything less than well-crafted. Add to all this producer Stephen Doster's willingness to let the musicians play out within well-defined limits, and Wendy Colonna should soon discover she belongs in a whole load more places than she ever imagined.

• Goleta Valley Voice [+ Show ]
  

  Another gem I encountered on my recent road trip. This fiery beauty has incredible stage presence a...Another gem I encountered on my recent road trip. This fiery beauty has incredible stage presence and a voice that ranges from gravel to nightingale. Her songs relate life stories, good and bad and the sparse arrangements just let her moving vocals and poignant poetry shine all the more. Colonna strums a tight rhythm and Perkins adds medicinal electric additions. "We All Die Alone" is a fast-paced, boxcar blues with the harmonica of Guy Forsyth supplying the chugging and whistle blasts. "Smoking Chains of Cigarettes" is a sore-hearted ode to lost love with a folk/pop twist. "Sodom" (my favorite) inspired by the degeneration of her former home of Lake Charles, LA draws painful parallel between our troubled times and those of biblical lore:
  "Brothers can I tell you what a mess you've made around? The fish are swimming belly up and pastures all turned brown. All the money in the world can't buy what you've brought down. Oh, brothers hold your pillow tight, tonight's your last in town. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. The land is black with sinners and the waters black with crude. Maybe in the wilderness you'll weep for what you lose, but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do."

• AustinLive.com [+ Show ]
  

  I'd heard Wendy's name tossed around industry circles quite a bit, and the comments were always posi...I'd heard Wendy's name tossed around industry circles quite a bit, and the comments were always positive. Upon hearing 'Red', I can see why. This girl can sing! Very Natalie Merchant-ish with a Southern-fried feel. "Dirty Wife" brings some gritty vocals to the front that really latched this one into my brain. "Smoking Chains of Cigarettes" made usch an impression that I was still hearing it at 2am while trying to catch some sleep! "We All Die Alone" has such an awesome rhythm that you can't help but dance along.
  Lyrically, it's good and hook-y. Lines like "If I give up this fruitless quest for true purpose and meaning, will I lose every reason to believe I should keep breathing?" will make you stop and think. And then that wonderful melody gets you right back to dancing. "Coffee Today" tugged at my heartstrings, and made me think of people that have come and gone in my life's travels.
  I've spent years nearly ignoring female singers. Thanks to Wendy for opening that door another few notches... I've been listening to her CD for weeks now! She can get just as angry and throw out as much power vocally as a man, without losing a BIT of her femininity. This Louisiana girl is one to be appreciated. Now y'all excuse me while I smoke chains of cigarettes and talk soft 'til 2.

Setlist

Includes mostly original music, select covers from the 60's and 70's reworked to suit the band and occasion.

Basic Requirements

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