Here are a pair of releases by women with deep souls and palpably molten voices.
Nigerian-born Douye’ delivers a warm collection of bossa nova classics and samba’d jazz standards on this delightfully lithe session. Some of the best in supporting artists including Romero Lubambo/g, Duduka Da Fonseca/dr, Otmaro Ruiz/p, Justo Almario/fl and Manolo Badrena/perc join in with fresh moods. Almario’s flute floats with Douye’ on a breezy “Wave” while his tenor coos on “Girl From Ipanema” and Jed Levy’s soprano soothes during “How Insensative.” Some 50s bop is sanded down for Sao Paulo, as Douye’ and Lubambo lilt on “Blue Bossa,” a horn section grooves on”Nica’s Dream” and Badrena percolates with the vocalist on a rich “Song For My Father.” Familiar faces in a new setting.
A graduate of Manhattan School of Music and a graduate of the Brooklyn Tabarnacle Choir, Alicia Olatuja first got attention singing at President Barack Obama’s second inauguration. Here, her crystal clear voice leans toward an R&B feel on lovely pieces like the sot “So Good So Right,” the lurking “No Ordinary Love” and the soulful strutting “Under The Moon and Over The Sky.” The team of Dayna Stephens/ts, Jeremy Pelt/tp, Ben Williams/b, Ulysses/dr, David Rosenthal/g, Jon Cowherd-Sullivan Fortner/p are both modern and classic, getting intimate and personal on the delicate “Just Wait” or getting a bit free formed on “People Make the World Go Round.” Vintage soul vibes and keyboards loate as Olatuja sings in Spanish during “ Gracias A La Vida” and the closing multi-layered acapella gospel’d “This Woman’s Work” is a rich and textured Sunday Morning special. Can’t wait to see her in concert!