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SOMEWHERE PRINCE IS SOBBING OVER LETTING THEM GO

J. Johnson | CT | 08/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman played a cruical role in Prince's
Revolution.To the public,they're probably known for the parts in
"Purple Rain" and in the raunchy intro to "Computer Blue".After Prince fired all of his band in 1986,Wendy & Lisa landed back on
their feet with a deal on Columbia and released their debut in 1987.Truth be told,the ladies sound just fine without Jamie Starr."Wendy & Lisa" is a very adventrous,stylistically diverse late
'80s dance/pop album.Wendy's strong,soulful voice is highlighted
in ways that it couldn't have been during her Prince days.Lisa's
keyboard prowess is now actually in the forefront.Bobby Z,W&L's
bandmate from The Revolution,had a big hand in the production so
of course "Wendy & Lisa" has a semi-strong Prince feel.Funky,taut workouts like "Honeymoon Express","Sideshow",and
"Light" have grooves that actually move and the lush instrumental "White" are all impressive.As well as the effective ballad "Stay" but I have one big question:WHY IN THE WORLD WASN'T A HIT???? That's right,this set's intial single stalled at #87 on the Billboard singles chart even though it was loaded with a nice beat,a great hook,and a strong Prince feel.Hey...maybe "Christopher Tracey" himself had something to do with such a surefire hit stalling(LOL)...Makes you wonder.
Anyway,I can't fail to mention the misty "Song About" with it's
sly references to Prince("No one stayed after the Parade":get it?).
Overall "Wendy & Lisa" is actually an underrated,well-produced
album that quietly paved some way for Sheryl Crow(whom W&L's
former boss sang with on his "Rave Un2 The Joy Fantasik" album)
and other soulful,pop/rock/soul female artists.'80s music that
still holds up very well.
Wendy and Lisa seemed to be possibly the most talented in former
Prince understudies(Shelia E comes close though).The two women
would release two more albums,1989's "Fruit At The Bottom" and1992's "Eroica",both of which pushed the musical envelope even
more.Sadly both of those albums are out of print in the US and
both barely if ever charted over here as well.W&L released the
powerful "Girls Bros." project in 1998,a soaring,somber musical
grievance over the death of Jonathan Melovin,drummer for the
Smashing Pumpkins(he also played drums on Prince's "Do U Lie?"
from "Parade").They also have went on to play behind Me'Shell
N'Degeocello,Seal,Joni Mitchell,and BB King & Eric Clapton(yup,
that's them on "Riding With The King"),among others.And they've
scored the music for such feature films as "Dangerous Minds",
"Soul Food",and "Juwanna Mann".
Wendy and Lisa have truly stood the test of time.Somewhere,
Mr. Nelson is shedding purple tears seeing how well his musical
babies grew up."

Wendy and Lisa's debut is underrated 80's timepiece

Daniel J. Hamlow | Narita, Japan | 03/27/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After Parade, Prince disbanded the Revolution and worked with both new and old musicians, including Sheila E., Wendy Melvoin, and Lisa Coleman. Although Wendy and Lisa had a few contributions on Sign 'O' The Times, they were jettisoned from his band per se, but that didn't matter. Wendy and Lisa decided to do their own thing, producing their debut album with the help of Prince drummer Bobby Z."Honeymoon Express" and "Sideshow" begin with some Prince-influenced funk and bass but Wendy and Lisa quickly give it their own sound immediately after. "Sideshow" has some amusing rhyming verses, "The government, firmament/spearmint, doublemint.""Waterfall" was the first single and I only heard it on MTV with their video. The strong drum rhythm and grinding guitar really won me over. And that chorus: "People may come/poeple may go/just as long as the water's slow/but watch out when you're headed for/the waterfall."The instrumental "White" with piano and soprano sax finds the duo going the jazz route. What improvs could've been made from this!"Blues Away" and "Song About," like the piano ballad "Stay," lack a Prince stamp, while "Chance To Grow" veers toward pop-jazz."The Life" is my favourite song here, and is the original mellow piano version instead of the speeded up version on the Dangerous Minds soundtrack.It's back to Prince-like stuff in "Light." This could have been at home on Parade.Some of the music is Prince-influenced, but don't anyone dare mistake them for Prince satellite-bands such as the Time, Apollonia 6, or The Family! Wendy and Lisa are musicians in their own right. Besides, they declared independence by signing on with Columbia as opposed to Paisley Park.Too bad this album was overlooked by many. I wouldn't call it mainstream fodder. There are traces of funk, jazz, light pop, but nothing in a single category.One interesting note here: some of the backing percussion is done by Jonathan, presumably Jonathan Melvoin, Wendy's brother who later became backup drummer for the Smashing Pumpkins, and well,... you know the tragic rest."

Prince Who?

Music Geek | Richmond, VA | 05/20/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Why this album wasn't nominated for a Grammy is beyond me; it could be because, at the time of its release, music videos were all-important to the success of an album, and the video for "Waterfalls" was boring and easily forgettable. Nevertheless, this is a work of absolute beauty. Particularly brilliant are "Everything But You", "Chance to Grow", and "Blues Away", not to mention the exquisite instrumental, "White". Wendy and Lisa deserved a much better reception than they got for this album. Incidentally, the only song on which you could hear Prince's influence, in my opinion, was "Waterfalls"."