Charlotte Day Wilson @ Bowery Ballroom

by Sarah Shi, April 16th.

Charlotte Day Wilson is a Toronto-based R&B musician who is currently on tour following the release of her second EP, Stone Woman. The Eponymous tour began shortly after, with shows in Canada, the United States, and Europe – all of which sold out. Wilson was classically trained in piano, studying at the Toronto Royal Conservatory of Music as a child; she later joined a funk band named The Wayo, which played over 100 shows a year. The classical, R&B, and soul influences are distinctly audible in her music as an independent writer, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer.

Wilson was entrancing in her presence and performance, and engaged the audience through her strong emotional prowess by transporting them to an intimate and interior space. The title track, ‘Stone Woman,’ of Wilson’s recently released EP opened the show with relatively sparse backing, which began with a shining synth maintained through the song that builds to a crescendo with the addition of percussion. The open structure of the song allowed for Wilson’s voice and emotion to shine.

‘In Your Eyes,’ Wilson’s collaboration with the fellow Toronto-based group, BadBadNotGood, brought the crowd dancing to the groovy song with her velvety vocals. Funeral, an emotional farewell to a former lover, was a crowd-favorite as she played an impressive two-minute saxophone solo underscoring her jazz influences. The night’s emotional peak occurred as Wilson performed a new song, singing “it’s not yours to find / when I told you what was mine,” as she was brought to tears. As the song concluded, Wilson explained how she tapped into the feeling of the song, which she said was “quite heavy.”

Charlotte Day Wilson precisely described her performance, which engaged and allowed the audience access into the realm of her sentiments. Wilson’s confidence and production have bloomed in Stone Woman, as she explored the lush emotions following the expiration of a long-term relationship. With two new songs debuting at the show a month after the release of Stone Woman, there will be much more to look forward to from Charlotte Day Wilson.