While
the rest of Chicago was rocking out at Lollapalooza for the weekend, Alma,
Chicago-based pop/soul vocalist, managed to record every track of her upcoming
album Tactics. Tactics, Alma’s first full-length project, will be released
October 17.
“Recording
an entire album in one weekend was ambitious! The whole project came together
in a few months’ time and I credit the organization, consistency &
initiative of Chris Thigpen, my bassist & creative producer,” shared Alma.
Alma, a
newcomer to the Midwest music scene, would consider the title of communicator
as vital as singer or songwriter to her art. Her new project, Tactics, is a
calculated attempt to provoke thought about the human condition, supported by
her neosoul sensibilities.
“I write
and perform to inspire conversation about the things that matter,” says Alma.
“Performing is fun, but my passion is the message, not the medium.”
Alma is
quickly becoming a pro at both the medium and the message. Characterizing her
medium, it’s hard to confine her to one genre. Neosoul comes closest, but her
music has elements of jazz, pop, R&B and gospel. She performs regularly in
Chicago and other venues around the Midwest, including Wisconsin music
festivals Brat Fest and Lifest in the summer of 2014. In 2013, she toured the
East Coast with Philly-based artist Kwesi K.
Drawing
from her personal faith journey, the tracks on Tactics explore human nature
with themes like jealousy in “Blind Side,” gluttony in “Honey,” as well as hope
in “New Nation.”
Tactics’
sound showcases Alma’s skill in songwriting with eight original tracks that
encompass a style reminiscent of Joss Stone or Jill Scott. Alma says, “In late
2012 neosoul stole my heart—and since then I've been sorting out how I want
that to affect my own songwriting.”
In 2012,
she released a demo Pass it On, with a more stripped down singer/songwriter
sound than the upcoming Tactics. Her 2014 single, “For A Poet” gives a stronger
foreshadowing as to what to expect from her new album. Alma graduated with a BA
in Vocal Performance from Columbia College in Chicago in 2013.
www.hearalma.com
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