I've been listening to the album the whole morning. I need to listen to Why Can't You Love Me and Best Friend some more, only because the 3 other tracks jumped out, grabbed my attention and refused to let go.
When This Rain Stops is the classic power vocal ballad and title track. This song (as well as the others on this album) has many drawn out phrases that give Wendy room to stretch and belt and sing. Put on good headphones and listen to that piano accompaniment. It's understated and very light with the left hand. It's also very well phrased. I mention that because a great singer not only has good range but also great timing (hello Ella Fitzgerald) and Wendy shows that as she sings with the piano. The way her vocal phrasing goes hand in hand with the piano is just amazing.
Like Water is a warm and soothing song. It flows very well. (And I am not kidding.) I suspect it became a title track because of its meaningful lyrics;
warmblue has a translated set if anyone wants to check them out. Wendy has provided input on the lyrics and it shows.
The Road is from MonoTree, which is one of my favorite songwriting and production companies. What I found amazing is that upon first listen there were several spots in the song that sounded familiar, like hooks or snippets that I'd heard somewhere else before. And when I checked out the lyrics (again, thanks to
warmblue) I found
The road here
Suddenly I think it's not my first time here
I feel like I've been here before
The hand I've always held on tightly
So the melody somehow mirrored the lyrics. Finding that out was a jaw-dropping moment for me.