Alba - Heartbeat

The guitar in this song immediately drew me in and made me need more of it and to see that it's Alba, herself, killing it on the guitar makes the song so much better. We don't have a lot of female lead singers that also play an instrument and it's a shame. I think there's something very special about doing double duty like that in a song and she's got definite star quality that makes her stand out from other singers. I'd love to hear her on tour with Haim or Joss Stone because I think they have complimentary styles that would play off each other well and strong, independent women are the coolest when it comes to music makers.

London-based singer/songwriter Alba has released a new single, "Heartbeat" and she says, "Heartbeat was inspired by the feeling of synchronicity of a crowd with the beat of the music during live concerts, when everyone's heart seems to beat to the rhythm of the kick drum, and also takes inspiration from the sense of synchronicity between the pounding hearts of two lovers. I wanted to be the one setting an energetic and positive beat to which an audience may synch to. The kick drum at the start of Heartbeat is actually mixed together with a human heartbeat sample."

I love the bluesy feel to this song and her voice. It's smoky and it's got depth to it that you don't get in pop music today. Stack her vocal talents up against her guitar playing and she's an incredible talent. She does cross over from pop to rock to blues and it makes her an exceedingly well rounded artist. It's very cool to hear the influences pour out of her music and how authentically her own the art she's creating is. There's not many other artists out there that have a vibe similar to hers and I can't honestly think of many female artists to compare her to. I'd be more apt to say she's similar to Stevie Ray Vaughn or Johnny Lang than comparing her to artists like Halsey or Lorde. And I think the world needs a whole lot more of her. She's unique and she's blazing her own trail.