Sweet Lu Olutosin

While Atlanta-based jazz vocalist Lutalo "Sweet Lu" Olutosin may have gotten a late start on his professional career, music was his passion from a young age. Born in East Chicago, Illinois and raised in nearby Gary, Indiana, Olutosin grew up in a church-going family who only allowed gospel music at home. A fixture of his church's choir, he eventually became turned on to secular music as well, learning to love the blues, R&B, and especially singer Al Jarreau, who became a major influence in Olutosin's musical style. Though music remained his passion, the U.S. Armed Forces provided a steady career that would eventually see him retire as a full Army Colonel after 35 years of service. During his years in the military, Olutosin performed on the side, developing his chops and eventually forming the Sweet Lu Quintet in 2008. His music career began in earnest with 2011's Tribute to Greatness, his debut LP. Introducing fans to his soulful voice, Olutosin offered his take on a number lesser-known cuts from the jazz and blues songbooks alongside a pair of his own compositions. His 2014 follow-up, Sweet Lu's Blues, saw him collaborating with the Antonio Ciacca Quintet, again offering a mix of well-chosen standards and quality originals, and expanding on his warm phrasing and occasional sojourns into vocalese. In 2017, Olutosin released the critically lauded Meet Me at the Crossroads, an ambitious set of mostly original songs that pulled from his gospel, blues, and jazz roots. Produced by veteran jazz pianist Donald Brown, Meet Me at the Crossroads was Olutosin's greatest commercial success to date, and his first entry into the national sales charts.
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