In their first event of the spring season, the Hamilton College Performing Arts brought jazz vocalist Alicia Olatuja to the stage in the Wellin Hall on Feb. 9. Sharing the stage with Olatuja was Jon Cowherd on piano, David Rosenthal on guitar, Ben Williams on bass, and Xavier Breaker on drums. The group performed a dynamic set of songs, revealing a unique and incredible sound that had the whole crowd listening in awe.

Born in St. Louis, M.O., Olatuja has been interested in music ever since she was a child. She was accustomed to listening to a range of musical styles including gospel, jazz, soul, and classical. Following this growing passion, she attended music school at the University of Missouri and the Manhattan School of Music where she graduated with a Masters in Classic Voice/Opera. With her talent attracting thousands, she has sang at spaces like the Jazz Standard, Rockport Jazz Festival, and Barack Obama’s second inauguration in 2013. In 2016, she released her first solo album

Timeless

and has been traveling around the nation to perform her own works ever since.

Throughout the concert, Olatuja and the band performed a wide array of songs with some following a more mellow, softer mood while others used a faster, more cheerful rhythm. Some songs touched upon the theme of love, break-ups, and friendships in incredibly moving and deep ways — fitting for the Valentine’s Day holiday. One of Olatuja’s most notable songs is “Serrado,” a piece whose lyrics were entirely in Portuguese. The quick pacing and catchy melodies had people tapping their feet and shaking their heads along to the beat, even if they may have not understood the lyrics entirely.

Audience members also had their own chance to participate in the performance as well. Whether it was by snapping along to the beat, clapping in time, or repeating back some of the lyrics, Olatuja managed to make everyone feel engaged and excited. One of the most notable uses of audience participation was during a song written about a break-up between two individuals on a rainy day. Olatuja encouraged the crowd to snap their fingers every time she would signal to them, in no particular timing or speed, creating the pitter-patter of rain against the pavement. As a result, the music became even more captivating, engaging, and

real

.

Olatuja also revealed her next album,

Intuition-Songs from theMinds of Women

, which seeks to showcase and champion the works of contemporary women composers. She wanted to celebrate the “intellectual and emotional expression” of their works by referencing artists from a range of different genres. In promoting its upcoming release, Olatuja performed her version of the popular song “Hide and Seek” written by Imogen Heap. Though her performance still followed the haunting style of the original (which only uses a keyboard synth and vocals), she used a more upbeat and quicker pace with fuller instrumentation.

To end the night, Olatuja and the group performed “Amazing Grace,” a powerful piece that seemed to shake the room as she began by singing a capella. As the piece went on, the other band members joined in layer by layer. In fact, each artist was given their time to shine with their own solos as Olatuja introduced each member. Amazed by the talent of them all, the crowd gave Olatuja, Cowherd, Rosenthal, Williams, and Breaker a standing ovation by the end of the concert.

With a style of music that combines jazz and soul through an incredibly captivating sound, Olatuja and her fellow band members did not disappoint — setting up a great start to the semester for Hamilton’s Performing Arts series.