SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CHARLOTTE DAY WILSON – CYAN BLUE

CHARLOTTE DAY WILSON
CYAN BLUE
STONE WOMAN MUSIC/XL RECORDINGS

With the release of her second full-length album, Charlotte Day Wilson provides a captivating musical production, one that is as engaging as it is sonically mesmerizing. Fans of the Toronto native have been eagerly awaiting the follow-up to her 2021 release Alpha, and thankfully she rewarded such patience with Cyan Blue, an album very much worth the wait. Packed with a spectacular range of entrancing melodies and a rather peachy rhythmic groove, this new release marks a significant sonic achievement.

Nothing sparks a soulful record quite like a well-orchestrated rhythm section. The pulsating groove confidently established throughout Cyan Blue sets the perfect backdrop for Wilson’s atmospheric vocal performance. The album opens with “My Way”, a driving tune where the underlying rhythm courses along a distinct current, teasing what is to come with a gospel-like flare. The shimmering guitar sprawled out over the infectious bass in “Do You Still” demands attention and stimulates the listener, hooking them into Wilson’s refreshing musical discourse. The dynamic range in Cyan Blue isn’t gigantic but it is staggeringly impactful. Floating away from the pulsating groove of the livelier songs, she delivers many moments where tracks are stripped down and this is where the album truly begins to glow.

The record plays like a personal reflection, one that is intimate and honest. Wilson’s voice is tranquilizing, echoing through the darkness and coaxing the listener into submission. The quieter moments are where Wilson truly provides a visceral listening experience. At the end of “I Don’t Love You”, a glaringly exclamatory song, the ensemble is reduced to a subtle bass line huddled underneath Wilson’s voice, a move that builds an intensity in her lyrical statements. This kind of dynamic restraint recurs often throughout the album and lends a potency to the melancholic tracks. In “New Day” a haunting melody is presented through the fusion of vocals and piano, both following the same fluttering tune. The result is a wonderfully somber song that digs into the sonic psyche, leading the listener into the sobering world that Wilson has created.

Cyan Blue is loaded with a spectacular range of infectious melodies, subtle ambience and even some unexpected surprises. A pensive rendition of the classic tune “Over The Rainbow” hides deep in the middle of the record and offers another small taste of Wilson’s exceptionally imaginative musical style. A record as rich as Cyan Blue deserves many listens and has a lot more to offer outside of what little is mentioned here. It has proven itself as an album that was undeniably worth the wait.

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