Aly Tadros - Hungry Ghost (2016)

When it comes to Texas-born and NY-based artist Aly Tadros, writing is a vehicle for transition. After raising an impressive 120% of her PledgeMusic goal, the singer-songwriter announces the release of her third album, Hungry Ghost on December 2.

After eight years and more than 800 shows, Tadros has a full-fledged confidence in delivering a record that candidly covers struggle. Hungry Ghost is void of tongue-and-cheek communication, with songs inspired by overcoming alcoholism, the death of her father, relationships and more. Produced by Kevin Salem (Rachael Yamagata, Yo la Tengo, Mike Doughty) and Tadros herself, the album follows debut Things Worth Keeping (2009), 2013’s The Fits and a whopping ten U.S. and four European tours.

Hungry Ghost is the culmination of Tadros’ unabashed attitude towards living and performing. At 17, she picked up the guitar and uprooted from her hometown of Laredo, Texas to Turkey. By 21, she’d lived between four continents, and dropped out of college after taking her first paid gig. In 2013, The Village Voice dubbed her “one of the best live shows to catch in NYC” — at her first show at Joe’s Pub. Amid the metamorphosis that came to define Hungry Ghost, Tadros embraced a new level of transparency by blogging for fans. A painstaking guest editorial on her road to sobriety published for XOJane went viral in 2015.

Hungry Ghost, the title of Tadros’ most seasoned effort, is borrowed from Buddhism. A “hungry ghost” is an insatiable creature. With bowling ball-sized bellies and pin-sized mouths these hollow, transparent beings have a crippling appetite. For Tadros, the constant touring, performing and drinking of her early career failed in fueling her craving for fulfillment. Years into recovery, it has charged her new 13-track LP with emotional scar tissue and an irresistible vulnerability.

Tadros’ injects a fresh artistry to her folk-pop, landing her critical acclaim from American Songwriter, Interview Magazine, Paste, USA Today, MTV, The Village Voice and a long list of other respected voices in music. Her Egyptian roots paired with a deep appreciation for Latin American and Middle Eastern music can be traced to the traditional Mexican vihuela and other myriad of instruments that join her on stage and in the studio.