Ten years have passed since Charlotte Day Wilson's first EP, a promising mini-album (“CDW”) with excellent r&b and soul sounds which found a worthy follow-up in the two albums, “Alpha” in 2021 and “Cyan Blue” in 2025.
The Canadian artist has so far proven to be attentive to refined interactions with pop and jazz tones, the two albums have stood out for an extreme attention to those nuances that are often sacrificed in favor of more bombastic productions, a choice that has been partly rewarded by nominations for the Grammys of the latest album.
“Patchwork” is a partly atypical project for Charlotte Day Wilson. What is highlighted is more the DIY approach than the jazz-soul elegance of the previous chapters. It's an exploratory album, where imperfection becomes an expressive language. It is not an experimental work, “Patchwork”, rather it is a return to the roots of the passion for soul music, a creative universe where the devotion to Stevie Wonder (“High Road”) shines, the sense of wonder for the first unions between soul and electronics (the title track), for that smooth-soul that marked an era (“If Only”) or for those temptations club music so far kept at bay and perhaps the next frontier for the Toronto artist (“Selfish”).
Unfortunately “Patchwork” remains an album for the use and consumption of the author's fans. It's a shame because the adventurous synth carpet of the sensual and more experimental “Lean” and the delicious touch of the Bobby Caldwell keyboards and the groove yacht-soul of “Quiet” promise interesting future developments.
Charlotte Day Wilson has so far demonstrated that she has taste and class, but with this short EP she shows off a pioneering spirit that will certainly have positive implications for the future of her career. Stay tuned.
02/18/2026
Antonio Santini for SANREMO.FM
