Charlotte Day Wilson, Debra-Jean Creelman, and Lex Leosis
Charlotte Day Wilson
Alpha // Stone Woman Music
It’s shocking how long we have gone without a full-length album by Toronto’s Charlotte Day Wilson. The R&B artist has been releasing music since 2012 through several EPs and a handful of singles, some of which earned her nominations as prestigious as a JUNO and Prism Prize (the latter of which she won) along with producing for and collaborating with other artists, but it wasn’t until this year that she graced us with a collection surpassing the minimum-25-minutes mark. That comes in the form of the aptly named Alpha.
As people already familiar with Wilson’s discography would expect, the songs on Alpha fall into the low-key and decidedly sensual corner of modern soul/R&B with a strong emphasis on her paradoxically soft-sung yet powerful contralto voice. The most energy and variety in styles can be found in the singles: the BADBADNOTGOOD-featuring “I Can Only Whisper” is an homage to ‘70s soul complete with a “wah-wah” guitar solo, the more modern-sounding “If I Could” is contrasted by the shorter, a capella mix used in the music video, “Mountains” takes cues from the powerful character of a gospel choir, the Syd-featuring “Take Care of You” includes unusually aggressive drums and bassline in the chorus, and the catchy “Keep Moving” almost sounds like a melancholic version of early ‘80s Prince. Other compositional and production highlights include frequent but tasteful use of acoustic guitar, the turn to a more folklike character in “Lovesick Utopia”, the appearance of saxophone in “Changes”, the switch from reverb drenching to vinyl static effects on “Wish It Was Easy”, and the light embellishments of vocoder and AutoTune effects in the background of the closer “Adam Complex”. Encompassing these is a consistently spacious mix throughout that anyone who has so much as dabbled in production would envy, done to such perfection that any and all possible harshness in the sound is smoothed away.
Despite the emotionally tumultuous lyrical subject matter of the various struggles of love and lust, Alpha ultimately boasts a rather relaxing sound with plenty of layering of synthesized, sampled and live-recorded sounds to keep it interesting.
- Ty Vanden Dool
Debra-Jean Creelman
Threshold // Modern Laundry Recording Club
Threshold is the newest release from Vancouver based musical artist (and former vocalist of Mother Mother) Debra-Jean Creelman. The album is made up of 9 tracks that feature gorgeous string arrangements, the soft, calming embrace of an acoustic guitar, and the trancelike vocals of Creelman. Mike Henry once said, “There’s old friends and new friends”, and this album encapsulates this unrelated sentiment through a talented cast of creative collaborators, ranging from long-time friends Molly Guldemond (of Mother Mother), Louise Burns, and Peggy Lee, to newcomers such as James Meger, Jesse and Josh Zubot, and a helping hand from Joseph Hirabiyashi, who produced, mixed, and engineered the album. (Those last four, and Peggy Lee, are who you can thank for the lush strings.)
Threshold goes into existentialist themes, desperately trying to find meaning and light in a forest of darkness. Creelman treats this journey with the beauty and respect that it deserves, portrayed from the albums instrumentals, to the vocal harmonies and lyricism. Dwelling deep into vulnerability and openness through artistic expression, Threshold is both calming and bleak, finding peace in desolation and using it as fuel for an all expanding light. Now, I hope I’m not making this sound like the album is all birds, flowers, and fluffy clouds. At times the album can get a little scary, such as the industrial breakdown at the end of “Faith is Easy”, or the entirety of “Body is Breathing.” It gives a hint towards the depths of the well for those who drink from the deep water.
Listen, I’m not doing this album any justice rambling on about it. The best way to get what I mean is to listen to the album yourself. It’s quite the experience, and you’ll come out of it feeling tranquil and perhaps a little disturbed, but it’s all in the name of moving towards a better understanding of the cosmos and our place in it, so I’d consider it a win overall.
- Brandon Kruze
Lex Leosis
Terracotta // Distorted Muse / Fontana North
Next up for review, we have Toronto-based queer alt-hip hop artist Lex Leosis. Lex Leosis dropped her EP, Terracotta, on July 9 -- just in time for peak summer vibes. Leosis sets herself apart by holding space for various causes and using her platform to support other women and non-binary artists and creatives; Lex is not afraid to give props where it's due. Known for her dynamic flows, aggressive stage presence and elaborate story-telling, Lex Leosis is a name you will soon remember.
The debut single from the project was the sunny, tropical-beat infused "Won't Wait," which showcased a breezy, bouncy beat under Leosis' vulnerable lyrics, and she yearns for real talk and love, but not at the expense of self-worth. "Won't Wait" is infectious from the very start but becomes all the more so when the beat drops at 0:26. This song's relevantly simple structure is undeniably compelling and hosts some exciting instrumentation. The horn part adds a lot to the feeling of the tune, providing a nice dynamic element to the song as a whole.
"Won't Wait" was produced by Rainer Blanchaer (Drake, The Weeknd, French Montana, The 1975), and executive producer on the whole EP. Having met through Leosis' roommate, Blanchaer became a pandemic pal and one of the only people she's seen consistently during lockdown. They've used their time making music together in Leosis' bedroom studio, and the result is Terracotta. Describing the new EP, she says:
"In the Terracotta pots process, clay starts by being refined and moulded. Through fire, time, and attention to detail...the terracotta pot is complete. I wrote this project through the pandemic. I was coming off releasing "Mythologies" (March 2020), and I was sad that I had to cancel a lot of my rollout plans. No interviews, shows/tours or celebrations. I put my whole heart into that project, and to see that I couldn't continue my rollout because of the pandemic was a big blow. Instead of letting it defeat me, I decided that it would make me stronger and that I would use this time to rebuild."
During the pandemic, Leosis also had time to dig through her grandfather's old jazz records that she loved as a kid. When he passed in 2009, the records were given to her but became dusty until Covid made her slow way down. The piano, saxophones and live drums on those records inspired the live elements on the new EP, and Leosis says, "He had this foresight to leave those to me. We used to sit in his car outside our house and just listen to Jazz, and I loved music as a kid."
Between her quality time with Rainer, her grandfather's records and her time to be with herself, she found a way to channel summer's warmth, growth and freedom into six tracks. Terracotta is out everywhere now, do yourself a favour.
- Earl Donald
