Soulful Femme

Doors 6:30 PM / Show 7:30 PM

$10 Seating

Soulful Femme

 Stevee Wellons and Cheryl Rinovato, the two principals in the dynamic duo known as Soulful Femme, are more than simply a dynamic singing duo. They are seasoned performers in their own right, each possessing vast experience in the music business who happened to join forces and find an ideal chemistry.

The two met at a Blues Society event in 2014 and clicked immediately. A year later, they competed at the International Blues Competition in Memphis. Their first album, It Is Well With My Soul, was released in 2021. They then found themselves touring consistently, sharing stages with Tommy Castro and opening for such acts as Robert Cray, Mavis Staples, Ana Popovic, Samantha Fish, Shemekia Copeland, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Bernard Allison, Mike Zito, Albert Castiglia, and Jeremiah Johnson.

“The planets were all in line when Cheryl and I met,” Stevee insists. “It became obvious that we had to take this journey simply because it was meant to be. She and I are women of a certain age and aren't quite ready to hang up our instruments…We still have a lot to say and we’re determined to say it in the here and now!” That’s especially evident with their new album, the aptly titled Attitude. Recorded at Fat Rabbit Studies in New Jersey, it was produced by blues great Albert Castiglia and engineered by Grammy nominated Dave Gross. It also features an impressive array of special guests, with Castiglia contributing guitar, the great Tommy Castro guesting on “Talkin ’Loud and Sayin ’ Nothing,” and multiple award-winning singer and guitarist Kevin Burt dueting on “Insane Asylum.” The other musicians include Michael Bram (formally of Jason Mraz’s band on drums), Matt Raymond on bass, Doug Woolverton on trumpet, Mark Earley on tenor saxophone, and Dave Gross on Hammond organ and percussion. Not surprisingly then, the music comes across as both confident and credible, from the funk and stomp of the dynamic title track and the energized and assertive upbeat boogie of “Not Like You,” to the emphatic stance of “Crazy” and the easy stride and soulful feel that underscores “Dysfunction Funk.”

Tommy Castro concurs. “Soulful Femme is a unique act,” he declared. “Cheryl’s guitar style compliments Stevee’s voice. The songs are well crafted and I’m a fan!”