Little Light by Bob and Wendy

The recording starts out with "Helena" which has a little bit of a Chris Isaak feel to it with the guitar and that familiar "Wicked Game"-sounding drum line. I think this is my favorite song on the CD and it's a great one to start off with. Bob's cello (and mandolin, piano and mandocello) adds so much to Wendy's already great songs. "Sunday Morning" is a great slightly twangy tune that for some reason I want to be in a movie. It just seems like it belongs on a soundtrack. Wendy's swooping voice shines here.

I also like "Haunted" which highlights piano simply with Wendy's voice. It's lovely. But really, I like all the songs on this CD.

If you liked "Behind the Blue" check out this one. I dare say it's even better!

Review by Amy - Producer of Collected Sounds / www.collectedsounds.com

The kids think "Helena" is from a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western....that surfing Western sound never grows old or tired. It's a bullet on my charts. There are so many nice moments on this album. The strings continue to blow me away. Imagine - songs w/o a guitar - how refreshing! You both should be proud of what you've created here...

Took me ten minutes to put it together, but "The Veil" marries that famous Dylan guitar chord progression from "Tangled Up in Blue" with the opening melody line from Lennon/McCarthy's "You Can't Do That". But you did it splendidly whether intentional or not. One of many nice moments on your latest release, Little Light (clever title, that). The string arrangements are seductive, moody, even dark, matched to a number of short studies of the human psyche, particularly the troubled lobes. Wendy's voice only improves with this album. And pristine recording and production. I admire you two for not rushing your albums, instead waiting for the songs to come naturally and mature before recording them. The result is again a keeper.

If there's a flaw on this album, it's the omission of "Resolution", which certainly deserves wide distribution. Though not that this album needed another bullet. Thanks for the promo - it will be shared with many.

Regards,

David Obermann, Folkways, KUT, Austin

I do love the cd and remain convinced that it's your best work yet, which I find most encouraging, if only because creative growth, as your work continues to show, is a real tough thing to maintain.

Rick Williams

Bio...

When asked to describe her songwriting Wendy Liepman states, "Every song contains a grain of truth, although some of the names and stories have been changed to protect the innocent." Wendy wrote her first song "Endless Highway" at the age of ten, and continues to play her mother's 1944 Martin guitar. She grew up to the sound of 60's folk music; The Weavers, Kingston Trio, and later Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and the Beatles. Current influences include Buddy and Julie Miller, Sam Phillips, and Aimee Mann..

After starting out on cello, Bob discovered a 1921 Gibson mandocello and joined an L.A. rock band. He became a founding member of the Venice Canaligators with Clyde "Hook" McGuire and made annual pilgrimages to New Orleans to play Mardi Gras.

Bob and Wendy met in Los Angeles in 1984 while performing music at a party thrown by Wendy's sister. On their first "official" date Wendy was prodded to pass the hat at a Canaligators gig! The Canaligators later played at Bob and Wendy's wedding.

In 1987 Bob and Wendy moved to San Luis Obispo, California. Since then, they have been involved in the local music scene, playing coffee houses, book stores, the KCBX Live Oak Music Festival, and the annual SLO Unplugged concert. They participated in the first San Luis Obispo First Night Celebration by performing in the Mission Church. Wendy's song "The Heart of SLO Town" was featured at the Grand Finale. Their first album, Plum Champagne was recorded in 1992. Vagabond for Beauty was released on CD in 1996 and has received regular airplay on KCBX public radio and KOTR FM. The song "Margaritte" was included in a CD that raised $18,000 for a local homeless shelter.

While in Austin, Texas where they performed at the 1997 Kerrville Music Festival, Bob and Wendy recorded four new songs at Congress House Studio. Their friend Michael Fracasso produced the sessions, bringing in some of Austin's finest musicians to play on the tracks. These sessions launched their album titled On the Spot, released in March 1999. Two of the songs won them a spot at the Emerging Songwriter showcase at the Napa Valley Music Festival the same year.

On June 30th, 2001, Behind the Blue was released. It is the latest collection of Wendy's songs. This project was produced by Charles Duncan of Cambria and includes the violin of Sal Garza. In January 2002, it was #12 on the Freeform American Roots (FAR) chart and is getting airplay in Berkeley, Austin, Paris, France and across North America.

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