Wendy & Lisa - Wendy & Lisa 1987

When Prince broke up the Revolution in 1986, guitarist Wendy Melvoin and keyboardist Lisa Coleman, friends since childhood, decided to team up for a new musical project. The two had grown up together in Los Angeles, where both of their fathers were session musicians and encouraged their musical development from a young age. Coleman joined the Revolution in 1979 for Dirty Mind, and Melvoin signed on in 1984; in addition to their instrumental skills, the two also provided some of Prince's arrangements. Wendy and Lisa played almost all of the instruments on their self-titled debut and co-wrote most of the material with ex-Revolution drummer Bobby Z. After backing Joni Mitchell on Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm in 1988, the duo added Melvoin's twin sister Susannah and recorded Fruit at the Bottom, a song cycle about the ups and downs of romance. Several more family members joined up for the widely varied Eroica, which mixed Wendy & Lisa's disparate influences (funk, jazz, dance, pop, rock); k.d. lang also contributed vocals. Eroica followed in 1990, and though the duo were less busy during the decade, they returned in 1998 as the Girl Bros.
Released in late 1987, Wendy and Lisa was the debut by Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman after they left Prince's much loved band, the Revolution. Although Sign o' the Times was justifiably heralded as a masterpiece, Melvoin and Coleman both possessed an energy and prowess that some felt was missing from that effort and those that followed. Luckily, a good part of those charms show up on this album. The deceptively simple "Honeymoon Express" has a propulsive energy mixed with effortless and recondite vocals, especially on the chorus. Given the pair's work with Prince, it's no surprise that the best songs here are conflicted and thought-provoking. Melvoin's off-centered and oddly sensual vocals never fail to impress, as does Coleman's keyboard shading and composing. The insinuating "Everything but You" is one of the more true-to-life and honest love songs you're likely to hear. The best track, "Stay," is suitably dark and oddly reassuring, and made this an instant classic. Everything's not great here. "Chance to Grow" and the instrumental "White" both meander. Produced by Coleman, Melvoin, and Revolution drummer Bobby Z, Wendy and Lisa lasted well beyond its release date and is one fulfilling effort. AMG.

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