Alicia Olatuja and Michael Olatuja - OLATUJA (2024) Hi Res

Olatuja is a band, a project, an album full of the uplifting, joyful music of the African diaspora, and a beacon of healing in a divided world. Michael ‘Leye’ Olatuja first met Alicia ‘Lisa’ Olatuja when both were students at Manhattan School Of Music. Their relationship quickly deepened and they married, and in 2011 made a record together under the name Olatuja. As time passed their relationship evolved. No longer husband and wife, but still close friends, they each pursued their separate musical careers, and each succeeded in establishing themselves at the highest level of their respective professions: Michael as a first-call bassist in NYC, and Alicia as an internationally touring mezzo-soprano. Now, after a decade, they have reunited creatively as Olatuja. With an A-list supporting cast including drummers Obed Calvaire and Joshua Keitt, guitarists Femi Temowo and David Rosenthal, percussionist Magatte Sow and star pianist Christian Sands, Michael and Alicia set about creating Olatuja - an album that is at once cinematic in scope and intimate and personal in its message of trust, joy and the power of honest communication. “We wanted to merge our visions to create something greater than what we could create on our own” says Alicia. Olatuja draws on the rich heritage of Michael’s Yoruba culture, the evolving popular music of West Africa, the gospel and jazz traditions that inform Alicia’s musicality, and the strong links that tie all these threads together. “Alicia is my longest and closest collaborator” says Michael “This album comes from a place of knowing and growing.”

The album is a testament to the powerful creative partnership forged by the two, so that once writing sessions were underway, the vision flowed naturally, supported by their mutual trust and understanding. “It’s a product of our entire creative history - no time was wasted, nothing was lost. Every song here originated with a conversation between us.” ‘Sumo Mi’ (‘Come Closer’ in Yoruba) sets the scene, with lush vocals grounded by bass guitar, that leads us into the powerful affirmative statement of ‘Royalty’ – Alicia’s rich vocals buoyed up over Michael’s sweeping string arrangements and pulsing rhythm track. ‘Kandara’ translates as Destiny - an epically building tune call to trust in time to reveal the path. Michael’s bass solo comes at the climax of the soul-jazz-inflected ‘Gold And Silver,’ telling the tale of their collective early struggles in NYC, and how far they have come. By contrast, the West African heritage comes to the fore for the irresistibly joyous, talking-drum driven groove of ‘Ijo-Ya,’ meaning ‘Time To Dance’ - “The audience goes wild when we play this one live.” Alicia sings ‘Bright Side’ entirely in Yoruba, but the passion in her voice speaks in all languages, as special guest Christian Sands sprinkles piano magic over her stacked harmonies and Michael’s virtuosic bass interjections. ‘On And On’ tells a tale of endurance and belief “It’s about getting unstuck and moving forward” while ‘Leye’s Groove’ delivers exactly what it promises “Alicia just let me loose and the magic happened.” By contrast, ‘Bridges’ brings the pace down to a luxurious slow jam, enriched with strings and Christian Sand’s piano, as Alicia urges us not to burn bridges, but to allow the possibility of future growth. The album concludes with ‘Reflections,’ a closing statement to match ‘Sumo Mi,’ with both the artists layering voices and electric and double bass for a poignant finale.

Olatuja is a work of lush complexity, impassioned vocals, deeply layered arrangements, that unites all its multiple influences into a stunning whole. Alicia says “Working with some people, one plus one equals two. But working with Michael, it feels like a multiplication, so together we are more than the sum of our parts. Together we are a crowd.”