Alba – Questions Unanswered (2024)
Known for her high-voltage, enthusiastic, confident, intoxicating performances, singer-songwriter Alba is one of those artists who capture you in a kaleidoscopic haze of music, twirl you about, and then spit you out…but in the best way possible. While her solo project is less than a decade old – eight years give or take – Alba polished her skills in her teen years as the frontwoman for Sons of Rock. Skip ahead several years and her unique songwriting style, sensational vocals and “playing guitar behind her head in reminiscence of Hendrix” demands attention far beyond her UK borders.
From her critically acclaimed 2018 single ‘Lucky’, Alba stamps her name on the UK music industry pioneering a powerful female presence in the scene. We came across Alba in 2021 with her single ‘I Need A Holiday’, but we seemed to be late to the party; it doesn’t matter as her moving music embraced us like an old friend instead of a new acquaintance. After three years, the UK-based musician returns with her debut EP Questions Unanswered.
Inspired by life in its totality, Alba is unafraid to approach the glorious and gritty sides of our world. Questions Unanswered is a conceptual EP exploring the intricate interplay of societal perception, individual perspectives and an ultimate search for authentic meaning in reality. Produced in collaboration with upcoming artist edbl and recorded at Europe’s first solar-powered studio The Premises, Questions Unanswered already presents a unique flair with its environmental-friendly entry to the world.
While Alba’s distinctive blend of RnB and soul threads throughout the EP, she pushes the borders of her signature style with each track. Highlighting innovation, diversity and originality, each song brings a kick of another genre. Opening with ‘Are you really free?’, a hit of funk belies the soulful vocals with toe-tapping infectiousness; however, ‘Am I enough?’ claps at indie-rock. One continues with the single ‘What if?’ breathing a hard, heavy, pounding rush of alternative rock, and we finish off with a hit of rock-infused pop in the final ‘Why don’t you keep it real?’.
As a whole, listening to Questions Unanswered is like travelling along a wide path through a sonic forest. You enter with trepidation in your tip-toes quietly peering through the trees, then ‘Am I enough?’ lessens the cautiousness but tugs with vulnerability, fragility, and a strong sense of inner turmoil. The light at the end of the path can be seen ahead when you feel a surging sense of hope and self-discovery to be liberated and walk out in a haze of independence and empowerment.
Sincere, sentimental, introspective and brutally honest, Questions Unanswered is the anthemic guide to reality and finding the meaning of life. I cannot wait for more from this talented musician.
Find out more about Alba on her official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.
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