Tue Aug 15
A rare artist who blends a focused mind and open heart to infuse musical spaces with many vibes that lend themselves to warm, euphoric emotions.
Tamara Wellons is a vaunted, soulful vocalist whose artistry resonates in multiple realms with the vitality of the timeless definition of rhythm and blues. Also, she’s a passionate, empathetic Piscean who understands — on multiple levels — the healing essence of music.
Songs come to her, like life, in transformative cycles. Her 2021-released album, Months of Sundays, is her fourth, and perhaps, most personal, yet. It follows three critically-acclaimed records (Life Is 2008; Songs for Janie 2012; Pretty 2016) that in the past decade have seen her perform at renowned venues, including Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and Blues Alley and London’s Jazz Cafe. Furthermore, the success of these records has allowed her to share stages with six-time Grammy-winning saxophonist David Sanborn, plus Grammy-nominated vocalists Jonathon Butler and Gerald Albright. Also, she has been featured in the Washington Post, New York Times, and other publications of note globally.
Wellons’ considerable vocal talents have lent to her being an in-demand house music vocalist, too. Her feature on Yoruba Soul’s release “In My Lifetime” keyed it to becoming a beloved classic. Moreover, her performance on “Web of Deception” from Thievery Corporation’s 2011 album Culture of Fear elevated her stardom. Furthermore, her talents lent themselves to creating another generation of renown for soulful house producers like Osunlade, Teddy Douglass, DJ Spinna, and Grammy winner Roger Sanchez.
When Wellons has taken her talents to the acting stage, she has shined. Songs for Janie, her 2012 album, was a theatrical concert interpretation of Zora Neale Hurston’s literary classic, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Its success led to a performance of the recording alongside Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker (The Color Purple).
Tamara Wellons is a rare artist who blends a focused mind and open heart to infuse musical spaces with many vibes that lend themselves to warm, euphoric emotions.