Wendy Wall
Country of origin:
U.S.
Type of music generally:
Contemporary folk/pop
Status:
Most recent release, The Road to Paradise (2009)
See also:
Wendy Wall's site
Comparisons:
Julia Fordham or a more mainstream pop/contemporary folk Happy Rhodes
Covers/own material:
Own, often cowritten
General comments:
Very, very ectopian. Her voice reminds me of no one as much as Happy Rhodes. (lissener@wwa.com)I was playing this album on my radio show way before I had ever heard of Happy Rhodes, so that particular comparison didn't occur to me (though now that I think about it, it is an apt one), but I liked her voice a lot, and I played her quite a bit. Great stuff. (meth@smoe.org)
I picked this up cheaply after hearing these comparisons of her voice to Happy Rhodes'. Yes, there are similarities to Happy's low voice, and I kind of like her music—a little too mainstream for me mostly. (Neile)
Recommended first album:
Either
Recordings:
- Wendy Wall (1989)
- Two Birds (2000)
- The Road to Paradise (2009)
Wendy Wall
Release info:
1989—SBK Records/Capitol—CDP-92807
Availability:
Out of print, though wide on release
Ecto priority:
Recommended for fans of folk/pop
Group members:
Wendy Wall—vocals, keyboard, percussion, harmony vocals
Baker Lee—acoustic and electric guitar
Nick Pellegrino—electric and acoustic bass, twelve-string acoustic guitar
Dug Rock—drums
Urban Sanchez—congas, bongos, talking drum, coqui, shaker, tambourine, woodblock, cowbell, chimes
Heather Mullen—harmony vocals
Guest artists:
Shane Mitchell Hue—harmonica, organ
Larry Campbell—guitars, pedal steel, mandolin, fiddle, banjo
Jeff Smith—soprano sax
Arthur Rosen—keyboard strings, keyboards
Rob Fraboni—tambourine
Produced by:
Rob Fraboni
Comments:
Her voice reminds me of no one as much as Happy Rhodes. Her songs are, for the most part, a little more conventional—there are a few weak ones on this album—but when she's on, there are chills. (lissener@wwa.com)I pulled out Wendy Wall's debut, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that I still like her older album quite a lot. It doesn't sound dated at all. It also occurred to me that she sounds uncannily like Julia Fordham. I'm not sure why I never thought that before. (meth@smoe.org)
Two Birds
Release info:
2000
Availability:
See Wendy Wall's site
Ecto priority:
Recommended
Comments:
Since it's an independent release it sounds less produced than her debut, and it falls very firmly into the contemporary singer/songwriter category, where her first one was more in the Julia Fordham vein. It's quite good. Her voice has changed a little bit over time: it's not as rich as before, but it's no less lovely to listen to. (meth@smoe.org)
