If intensive emotional therapy had a soundtrack, Charlotte Day Wilson would be its official curator. The somber songstress of the North’s music requires listeners to surrender their vulnerability with each stream. As a Toronto native, Wilson weathers many cold fronts and tricky storms back home. But the true force of nature is her sophomore studio album, ‘Cyan Blue.’
Wilson’s supporting Cyan Blue Tour with special guest Ouri is pushing that sonic pressure across North America. On May 29, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, just under two hundred fans (including me) were caught up in Wilson’s wave of passion at The Foundry.
Presently, online discourse diminishes the fullness of R&B. Instead, folks drill on the stereotypical tales of steamy sex, romantic betrayal, or lustful longing. Although Wilson is undoubtedly a heartbreak heiress, her nuance-filled works are much more than that. R&B has depth, and so does Wilson’s storytelling.
For the first time in several years, crowds around the country are enjoying that nuance. To say I was excited for Wilson’s tour stop would be an understatement. Still, I would be remiss if I didn’t disclose my uncertainty about what she could deliver on stage. I typically stir away from artists with overly gloomy music (both instrumentally and lyrically) in my live music ventures. That’s strictly reserved for the days when I must let out a good cry in solitude. However, with the melancholy maven being a fixture in my musical rotation, the chance to see her live at a respectable price point in close quarters was too good to turn away from.
Despite the limited real estate, Wilson’s precise management of the build-out, flooded with nearly every musical device known to modern man, provided onlookers with an inflated sense of grandeur. As opener Ouri set this reeling tone, which Charlotte masterfully exalted, attendees were thrust into a disjointed therapeutic circle.
Wilson opened in a cloud of darkness with “New Day Intro,” backed by one sole frigid temperature stage light that served as the jolt fans needed. As she worked her way through a melody of fan favorites, which included “Dove Tail,” “Do You Still,” “I Don’t Love You,” and “Falling Apart > Lovesick Utopia,” the audience was strapped in for the singer’s retelling of her rocky romantic encounters.
What the show lacked in melodramatics, it made up for in color therapy. As Wilson fearlessly revisited each painstaking moment in her love life, the venue’s lighting drilled in by way of the carefully timed lighting. In the transitions between depressing blue, joyous yellow, and ghostly white, concertgoers retained every heartbreaking stop through good fundamental color theory. The Cyan Blue Tour was a cathartic conversation with a long-distance friend–a spontaneous release you didn’t think you needed, but are all the better for.
Having produced, organized, and attended dozens of shows in the past, my checklist for a stellar show runs long. The stakes are high and usually, multi-instrumentalists are often at a disadvantage; Wilson is no exception. The Fillmore’s Foundry is a tight space with an even more modest performance space. The facility doesn’t provide any grace for you to hide behind theatrics. At the same time, spirited background dancers, glamorous wardrobe changes, and vivid screen displays typically aren’t in Wilson’s concert repertoire. Despite it all, she made the best of what she had, which is heard throughout her discography. Still, Charlotte Day Wilson crafts opiate art potent enough to fill an entire stadium. But intimate enough to make it feel like you’re the only one in attendance.
The humility shown in her coy reactions to being cheered on, stopping the set to acknowledge her partner, and taking shots with the crowd makes it seem like she’s exactly where she’s supposed to be. Most rising acts are in a rush to get to the proverbial mountaintop of music. On the other hand, Charlotte Day Wilson is more fascinated with bottling up those once-in-a-lifetime experiences she experiences during her pursuit of happiness.
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Charlotte Day Wilson’s latest album, Cyan Blue, is available for purchase here or streaming on your favorite music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal.
Setlist:
- “New Day Intro”
- “Mountains”
- “My Way”
- “Dove Tail”
- “Do You Still”
- “Canopy”
- “Forever”
- “Cello Interlude”
- “I Don’t Love You”
- “If I Could”
- “Money”
- “I Can Only Whisper”
- “Falling Apart > Lovesick Utopia”
- “What You Need”
- “In Your Eyes”
- “Take Care Of You”
- “Work”
- “Cyan Blue”
- “Walk With Me”
Encore
- Unreleased Song
