Wendy Versus

There is definitely an overabundance of "girl with piano" artists on the music scene these days, and this is equally true within the Toronto music scene. So what makes one stand out from the other? Well, if there's a uniqueness in the vocal styling, then that could make a difference. Sometimes playing a mean classical piano can be an immediate selling point. Oftentimes it's in the originally poetic lyricism. Although, Wendy Leung displays a measure of all of the above, what causes her to stand out for me, is her simple gift of melody. Admittedly it took a couple of listens for this fact to jump out at me, but her third release Stop/Start contains some of the most beautiful melodies I've heard recently. For example, album opener Warpaint and Love has almost a Ben Folds feel, albeit more in the subtle vein of Selfless, Cold and Composed as opposed to the angry Song For The Dumped vein. Dear Edison is another catchy number, with lyrics that are well thought out and witty. Other ballads such as Better and Me Without You are at once both beautiful and haunting. My favourite song however is Goodbye (hey) which makes good use of the always potent build-up effect, making it stadium worthy in a way that Coldplay could only dream of accomplishing these days. While it's true that the CD contains a couple of moments that are a little bit too Sarah McLachlan-like for me, there are definitely worse artists to be like, and I have to say that I've been coming back to this one quite a bit over the past week.

original link:
http://itsnotthebandihateitstheirfans.blogspot.com/2008/11/gladshot-burn-up-shine-wendy-leung.html - It's Not The Band I Hate, It's Their Fans (blog)

Wendy Leung's third release Stop/Start is a sweet, melodic record packed with a lot of heart. She is an ambitious classically trained pianist/singer/songwriter whose music borders a little on the coffee shop side yet boasts admirable originality worthy of music festival Lilith Fair. The album is refreshingly packaged, complete with images and partial lyrics inside a lovely artistic little insert. It's a pleasant additional element to an already pretty parcel.

Though she's been playing music since she was a young child, it is the words that catch my attention. In standout tracks "Dear Edison" Leung sings, "did you know I would scale walls for you?" and in "Better" she quietly sings, "the things you know just slowly seem to fade now." The songs portray pure poetry in a kaleidoscope of emotions shifting between nostalgic soul-driven piano ballads and soft indie rock.

Leung has a voice that pierces through the air unobtrusively and is just as bold as her thick blunt cut black bangs. The songs are a beautiful listen, which is why they captured the attention of her newly cultivated band featuring guitarist David Stein (Key Witness), bassist Scott Andrews (Provincial Parks) and drummer Andrew Haust (Entire Cities). It was recorded at Toronto's Chemical Sound (Born Ruffians/Tokyo Police Club/Amy Millan), automatically upping the indie cred for any artist. Stop/Start is a solid record that isn't always powerful but maintains honesty and passion.

You can catch Leung and her band live at Rancho Relaxo on January 29 or you can listen to her music and buy her record off www.myspace.com/wendyleung.

Original link: http://www.torontomusicscene.ca/cd-dvd-reviews/cd-review-wendy-leung-stop-start.html - www.torontomusicscene.ca, Sheena Lyonnais