Angie Wells began her singing career in an intimate little supper club in St. Germain des Pres in Paris when she joined the trio playing that night for a few tunes. Since then, she has returned to France to tour with French pianist Raphael Lemonnier. Wells qualified as a semi-finalist in the first annual Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition and has played and recorded with some of LA’s best jazz musicians including John Clayton, Clayton Cameron, Bill Cunliffe, Quentin Dennard, Henry Franklin, and Sam Hirsh, to name a few.
She’s garnered much attention since her official debut CD ‘Love and Mischief’, with Raphael Lemonnier, and provided noteworthy performances at various festivals such as The Telluride Jazz Festival, The San Jose Summer Jazz Fest (as the guest vocalist of Kermit Ruffins), and The MoZ’aique Festival in France. Angie Wells is set to release her new recording, ‘Truth Be Told’, produced by the legendary jazz bassist John Clayton, this February 17th.
Discussing the project she shares, ‘In the summer of 2020 many of us witnessed the brutal death of George Floyd and the worldwide protests for justice and peace that followed. Although I was sad and angry I felt a glimmer of hope as I watched people of all races, nationalities, cultures, sexual orientations and religions take to the streets together. About two weeks later as I was taking a pleasure drive in silence, I began to hear and feel a melody rise from inside. The melody came in the form of a deep emotional humming that felt like it was coming directly from my ancestors. This melody stayed in my head in the following days and began combining with the phrase “truth be told” until a song was born. As Truth Be Told became a living song I realized I wanted to embark upon a new recording project. I wanted this project to be a collection of original music and covers that spoke to the various truths of my life relating to daily living, love, joy, sadness, family, spirituality, and hope. I decided to title the project ‘Truth Be Told’.
Angie truly believes performance is a symbiotic exchange of energy between herself and her audience and gives her all at every moment. She continues, ‘ I wanted to include a song to reflect the spirituality, faith, strength, and hope of my ancestors in the face of adversity. I thought of my great-grandmother who always believed everything would be alright no matter what was happening. Faith was the constant thread through her life. That inspired me to include the gospel standard “I’ve Got A Feeling (Everything Is Gonna Be Alright)” as short musical interludes throughout the recording as a tribute to her, to faith, and to all who created the ladder on which we were able to climb higher than they were’.
Listening to this album is an arresting experience, which is both entertaining and thought-provoking. The recording successfully combines components of jazz, blues, and soul with delightful maturity and precision. Her sensual alluring voice and range are truly exhibited on each track and demonstrate her musical dexterity. If the ‘truth be told’, this album hits all the right notes for impacting one’s appreciation of the emotional and spiritual power of music. For more information on Angie Wells please visit www.angiewellsjazz1.com
Image provided by Chris DiGirolamo
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If the rest of this album is as good as the single, Where The Living Is Good, that I listened to online last week, then this is some of the best lyrical and thought provoking jazz and blues to come along in a long, long while. I can’t wait to hear the whole thing when it comes out in March,2023
Thank you for this wonderful review David! I am so glad you enjoyed the music. It seems to have accomplished what I was hoping based on your descriptions.
Thank You,
Angie Wells