Charlotte Day Wilson: Stone Woman

By Kerry Doole

Charlotte Day Wilson - "Stone Woman" (Independent): This Toronto-based artist is widely tipped as the next big thing to emerge from that city. She has already achieved hometown heroine status, as evidenced by this week's cover story in local weekly NOW and the fact she headlines two shows at the Danforth Music Hall in April.

Wilson has just released a six-song EP, Stone Woman, with a video clip for the title cut now out too. This is contemporary R&B at its finest, managing to be both soulful and adventurous. With minimal production featuring a tinkling keyboard, Wilson's vocals are restrained yet hauntingly effective. No diva-style theatrics or vocal gymnastics here. There is not much melodic momentum in the song, one that just sits there, exuding a simmering beauty. The combination of vocal purity and musical risk-taking at work here brings Feist to mind.

The accompanying video, directed by Devon Little, is similarly restrained, painting a portrait of Wilson that the singer described in the press bio as "an image of strength, beauty and vulnerability."

Don't expect saturation mainstream radio play on this, but the critical momentum the 25-year-old has established since her 2016 debut release, CDW and collaborations with fellow hot prospects BadBadNotGood and Daniel Caesar can indeed be expected to continue.

Wilson begins international tour dates at Fortune Sound in Vancouver on March 20. She plays Theatre Plaza in Montreal on April 5 and Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, April 6-7, as well as shows in SF, LA and NYC, plus Berlin, Rotterdam, Paris, Amsterdam, and London. A full itinerary here