Wendy Rule
Country of origin:
Australia
Type of music generally:
Beautiful &fierce, evocative/eclectic, ethereal (with slight gothic touches)
Status:
Most recent release, Black Snake (2013)
See also:
Wendy Rule's site
Comparisons:
Kerri Simpson, Margot Smith, Kate Bush, This Mortal Coil, Dead Can Dance. (rioliv@pop-gw.homeshopping.com.br)I don't see a lot of similarity with Kate Bush. I tend to compare her to Margot Smith, since they seem to share this certain Diva quality.... (afries@zip.com.au)
Covers/own material:
Own, with one cover
General comments:
I must say that until a month ago I had never heard of Wendy Rule. Then after being mentioned on Ecto, she sparked my curiosity so I went to check some of her stuff on MP3 format. And... WOW.
I've never heard such a powerful vocalist. She doesn't merely sing words over a melody, her voice is an instrument that she uses fully. The melody and her voice are one. She is capable of going from the slightest whisper to a full-bodied unleashing, never failing to project the rightful emotional depth in the process. Her music has several mystical references (Celtic and Greek mythologies, for instance) and is mainly influenced by the fact that she is a practicing witch. Many of her songs have a feeling of ritual where her voice soars beautifully and powerfully around you. (rioliv@pop-gw.homeshopping.com.br)She has deep, clear, very powerful voice and writes lyrics that shy away from your typical "girl loves a boy" subjects. She is a Wiccan witch and her interests in ritual, myth and spirituality are a very clear inspiration for her songs. But I don't find this overbearing, despite not being Wiccan myself; just different, and that's fine by me. Musically, her songs are quite rich in textures and instrumentation, but on the more acoustic side—piano, cello, acoustic guitar...that sort of thing. And for those familiar with Kerri Simpson, she did some backing vocals for Wendy...that might be another good reference point. (afries@zip.com.au)
Heard Wendy Rule for the first time this year and was absolutely floored by the power of the first track on her first CD—Zero. Surprisingly, nothing else has yet matched the power of that track, and each album tends to get a little bit mellower and a bit less adventurous, but all are still great albums. Her work is becoming more subtle—but in that process becomes less able to grab my attention, but does grow on me just as much over time.
Another ectophile wrote that her voice reminded him of Belinda Carlisle—I agree—I heard that too—kind of a cross between Lisa Gerrard and Belinda Carlisle—scary concept but somehow she pulls it off. One of the best and most unique voices I've heard in a long time. (jjhanson@att.net)
Comments about live performance:
At the moment I'm still under the spell of Wendy Rule whom I saw this Friday. She visits us only rarely so it was a bit of a special occasion for me, and she didn't disappoint—she was brilliant! Wendy has been mentioned here a few times but I repeat again she's worth of Ecto's attention; her powerful voice and stage presence make her a compelling performer. (afries@zip.com.au)I used to be in a band which played support for Wendy a couple of times—a very interesting performer. She's a pagan and promotes herself and her music as such. Her live performances usually feature keys and cello in addition to herself. She's a very sensual, passionate performer. (bronnyl@internode.on.net)
Recommended first album:
Zero
Recordings:
- Zero (1996)
- Continental Isolation EP (1996)
- Artemis/The Killing Moon EP 91997)
- Deity (1998)
- World Between Worlds (2000)
- The Lotus Eaters (2003)
- A Night of Jazz (Wendy Rule and Friends, 2004)
- The Wolf Sky (2006)
- Meditations on the 4 Elements (2007)
- Guided by Venus (2010)
- Live at the Castle on the Hill (live, 2011)
- Black Snake (2013)
Zero
Release info:
1996—Viridian Records—VIR 019 (4 pressings)
2000—Re-released with redesigned art—WENDY 006
Availability:
Available in Australia and at online stores
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Wendy Rule—vocals
Guest artists:
Craig Patterson—keyboards and piano
Rachel Samuel—cello
Alex Pertout—percussion
Roger McLachlan—bass guitar
Conrad Henderson—bass guitar on "Demigod"
Neil Osborne—flute
Ben Rogers—acoustic guitar and mandolin
Marc Tienestra—acoustic guitars on "Demigod"
Adam Calaitzis—additional keyboards on "Prometheus"
Michael Johnson—violin on "Odyssey"
Richard Claxton—violin on "Zero"
Kerri Simpson—backing vocals on "Zero"
Nichaud Fitzgibbon—backing vocals on "Zero"
Tess McKenna—backing vocals on "Zero"
Produced by:
Adam Calaitzis
Comments:
Zero is fantastic, her best album in my opinion. It's permeated with a grand, epic feeling, where her voice contributes to make it even more stunning. The album opens up with one of its grandest songs, "Continental Isolation", whose lyrics play with the (Wiccan) holidays being turned around, depending on which hemisphere you are on. This song already gives us a taste of what will come. The following songs—the striking "Sirens", "Chariot", "Demigod" and the touching "Child The First"—are somewhat calmer, but when we assume that the album has slowed down in this sense, "Prometheus" comes. At this moment, it's possible to experience the full power of Wendy's voice. When she claims "I am still here", it feels like she has assumed the title role of her song and is living it. Then things get calmer again with the light Celtic-influenced "Beltane". I just have to mention another favorite here, "Psyche's Sisters". Besides being a great song, it is about one of my favorite tales in Greek mythology, the tale of Psyche and the god Eros (better known as Cupid). After that we have about two minutes to take a deep breath before "Zero" comes. The title song is the rightful climax of a truly spectacular album. (rioliv@pop-gw.homeshopping.com.br)She is really special. Zero reminds me of Margot Smith. But also lush textures like the Cocteaus and Katey vocals at times. Very lovely stuff. (stjarnell@yahoo.com)
"Continental Isolation" is a really amazing song that really grabs your attention. (jjhanson@att.net)
Zero has been in my changer for the last week or so, and I adore it. I like it lots more than Deity. The music on Deity was kind of sparse and pretty direct, but Zero is all over the place. Lush arrangements, more dramatic singing. I'll have to absorb it more before I can say anything too coherent about it, but it's been one of my favorite purchases of the year. (neal)
Continental Isolation EP
Release info:
1996—Viridian Records—VR 024
Availability:
Available in Australia
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Wendy Rule—vocals
Guest artists:
Craig Patterson—keyboards and piano
Rachel Samuel—cello
Alex Pertout—percussion on "Continental Isolation"
Richard Claxton—violin on "Midsummer"
Kristen Perry—flute on "Midsummer"
Ben Rogers—guitar and mandolin on "Midsummer"
Produced by:
Adam Calaitzisl; "Breathe" and "Midsummer" co-produced by Wendy Rule
Comments:
Wendy decided to release this EP six months after Zero was released as a way of introducing the general public to her music. And she did one excellent job at it. The EP features an edited version of the Zero opening song "Continental Isolation" plus two new songs, the quiet and gentle ballad "Breathe" and "Midsummer", which is considered to be Wendy's happiest and most upbeat song. The EP finishes with an ethereal version of "Continental Isolation", where Wendy uses her vocal abilities to full extent. (rioliv@pop-gw.homeshopping.com.br)
Artemis/The Killing Moon EP
Release info:
1997—Viridian Records—VR 025
Availability:
Available in Australia and Australian online stores
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Wendy Rule—vocals
Guest artists:
Craig Patterson—keyboards
Rachel Samuel—cello
Rosie Westbrook—double bass, bass guitar
James Richmond—percussion
Richard Claxton—violin
Produced by:
Wendy Rule and Adam Calaitzis
Comments:
This EP is absolutely fabulous. "Artemis" is in my opinion Wendy's most mesmerizing song. If I was asked to name a single song that would define her music to me, this would be the one. It's practically impossible not to get lost in it and let her entrancing voice lure you in ("Follow me, follow me, I'll lead you into your life under the trees, I am Artemis of the Eucalypts, follow me..."). In "Kiss Me Soft", you have the chance to experience her voice almost a cappella. The last song on this EP is the only cover she has done so far, a very powerful version of Echo And The Bunnymen's "The Killing Moon". (rioliv@pop-gw.homeshopping.com.br)
Deity
Release info:
1998—Shock Records—WENDY 007
Availability:
Available in Australia and at online stores
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Wendy Rule—vocals
Guest artists:
Craig Patterson—keyboards
Rachel Samuel—cello
James Richmond—percussion
Rosie Westbrook—bass
Tamil Rougeon—violin
Joe Creighton—guitar
Kerri Simpson—backing vocals on "Shine"
Reuben Bloxham—backing vocals on "Full Moon in Scorpio"
Karen Oakley—backing vocals on "Night Sea Journey"
Tim Burnett—backing vocals on "Night Sea Journey"
Produced by:
Simon Polinski
Comments:
This is a great album. It is different from Zero in the sense that it doesn't have the same epic proportions. The whole album is quite sensual and feminine, very compelling and somewhat more ethereal than its predecessor. Songs like "Deity", "Think Of The Day" and "Open My Senses" sound timeless and full of light. The opposite happens on songs like "Danse Macabre" and especially "Full Moon In Scorpio", though. Wendy's voice goes through a transformation like only she can do and becomes furious and dark. Her voice is the main feature of this album and it can take us wherever she would like us to go. And there's the added bonus that the fantastic single "Artemis" is included here too. (rioliv@pop-gw.homeshopping.com.br)I think Deity is good. If you know anything else she's done, you're unlikely to be disappointed by Deity. (afries@zip.com.au)
Deity is great. (bronnyl@internode.on.net)
I enjoyed it pretty well. It didn't wow me, but I rather liked her voice and some of the songs slowly got under my skin. (neal)
World Between Worlds
Wendy Rule and the Parallel Dream
Release info:
2000—Shock Records—WENDY 008
Availability:
Available in Australia and at online stores
Ecto priority:
High
Group members:
Wendy Rule—vocals
The Parallel Dream:
Craig Patterson—piano, piano accordion, hammond, programming on "Inanna"
Rachel Samuel—cello, vocals on "Dissolve"
Simon Dickson—djembe, guitar on "The Call"
Guest artists:
Willy Hutton—bodhran on "Three Colours"
Jenny Thomas—violin on "Three Colours", "Animus" and "Creatures Of A Day"
Sandy Brady—double bass on "Dissolve", "The Call" and "World Between Worlds"
Maryanne T. Window—bass on "Entropy", guitar on "Inanna"
Produced by:
Siiri Metsar, Craig Patterson and Wendy Rule
Comments:
This is a good album, even though it's my least favorite of all her albums. Wendy's voice is as good as ever, but this album simply didn't catch me as the others have. It has some good songs on it, like "Dissolve" (sung by her cellist Rachel Samuel), "Three Colours", "Hail To The Moon" (another a cappella song), "Slow Down", "Creatures Of A Day" and especially "Entropy" (by far the best song of the album), however my biggest complaint is that many songs are unnecessarily long and all of them have the same slow pace with little variations. I would recommend listening to the others first. (rioliv@pop-gw.homeshopping.com.br)It makes me very happy some interest in her is finally brewing in Ecto land. She deserves it, and as for this CD, while more subdued than her previous efforts it is just as strong both in terms of songwriting and execution. Her voice still shines, though still coming nowhere near the effect of her live performance. (afries@zip.com.au)
Further info:
Email Wendy Rule or herMailing List
Thanks to Rosana L. de Oliveira for work on this entry.
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