Music Review: Wendy & Lisa, Wendy and Lisa

By Paul Casey

Wendy & Lisa have put out five albums and one EP of original material during the years they have worked as a duo. For such a talented pair this does not seem like nearly enough. The benefit of having so few albums is, however, there is no off period. Their debut, Wendy and Lisa, came out in 1987 and started a (short) string of great albums. It is a classic of the 1980s, and unavoidably a document of what Prince lost when he fired Wendy, Lisa, and Bobby Z. (who co-produces the album).

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Sometimes It Snows In April: In Praise of Wendy & Lisa

By Paul Casey

Photo from Wendy & Lisa’s MySpace page

When Prince fired Wendy & Lisa in 1986, the most significant writing partnership in that precious little Minnesotan’s career left with them. Not only are Wendy & Lisa credited as co-writers on many classic Prince and the Revolution songs—including “Sometimes It Snows In April,” “Computer Blue,” and “Mountains”—their influence on popular music of the past 30 years is considerable, extending to associated artists, like The Time and Apollonia 6. As well as producing five albums since leaving The Revolution, the duo has written scores for the television show Heroes and currently, Showtime’s Nurse Jackie.

In addition, Wendy & Lisa’s soft, mature approach to their sexuality, especially following The Revolution, mark them as two of the more inspiring musical figures to resonate with the LGBT community.

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