Neosoul artist, Alma to Release Album Tactics on October 17

New neo-soul artist Alma will release her first full length album, Tactics, on October 17. Alma, a talented singer and songwriter, is a Madison, WI native.

Tactics opens with just Alma and a microphone as she poetically invites listeners to examine the flaws of our human nature, a running theme through the album.  Her vocals are smooth, soulful and precise, layered with tight background vocal arrangements. Tactics’ stylistic leanings, a catchy mix of pop, R&B and jazz are reminiscent of Joss Stone, Emily King and Adele. Alma even experiments with spoken word and rap within Tactics.

“The project itself came together in less than five months, from the moment I sat down and said, ‘Okay, I should probably make a record,’ to the day I got the final mixes,” Alma says. She credits the accomplishment to bassist and producer Chris Thigpen, whom she met while studying voice at Columbia College in Chicago.

The two carefully arranged each song before hitting the studio in August. The product of their teamwork is eight unique yet cohesive tunes, from the hard-hitting “Take 21” to the gentle piano-driven “Head Rush,” each addressing a different aspect of human nature.

“I basically just put all my dirt out there,” Alma says, referring to her candid confessions of her own human nature. Topics like jealousy (“Blind Side”), doubt in God (“Worn”) and even an ugly sugar addiction (“Honey”) can be found on Tactics. Her openness endears her to fans, who donated over $5,000 to the project through crowdsourcing.

With a love for performing, an ear for musical arrangement and a passion for delivering a meaningful message, Alma (full name Alma Cook) provides soulful, thought-provoking and genre-defying original music. She developed her style in her hometown of Madison, WI, before moving to Chicago in 2011 to study vocal performance at Columbia College. In 2012, she released a demo titled Pass It On that featured a more acoustic sound.  Alma’s pop/soul single “For a Poet” was released in June 2014.

Tactics will be released on October 17, 2014. 

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