Alsace Carcione is an artist from Dallas who started releasing music in the late 2000s. While there have been singles spread out over the last several years, it’s actually been seven years since her last full-length album, Cryptic Conundrum. Now the wait is finally over as Alsace Carcione delivers a brand new album, Luto.

“Luto” is a word that in Portuguese means “mourning” or “sorrow.” As you dig into this album, it becomes apparent pretty quickly that this is an album about dealing with loss, trauma, and the healing process that follows. With production from Dillygotitbumpin, K Da Great, Todd Little, 1st Official, Tone Jonez, Hexsagon, Mokah Soulfly, Lebanon Don, KeShawn Allen, CoolFD, Ivan Bliss, and The Dune, we get a range of tracks that go from neo-soul to boom bap to bass-heavy 808 forward beats, but the one thing they all have in common is this distinctly Texas Southern flavor to them. There’s no mistaking where Carcione is from with this album. She gets a lot of great assists from working with these talented producers, but it wouldn’t mean a thing if it wasn’t for Carcione’s performance on the mic. Over the course of fourteen tracks, Alsace Carcione is taking you through all of the ups and downs of the different stages of grief and beyond. She has a really clear and direct delivery on the mic, which then amplifies just how honest and vulnerable she’s being with her lyricism. You get a little bit of everything, from love to anger to humor, as Carcione deals with the messiness of “luto.” Whatever it is, you can be guaranteed that you are getting some extremely thoughtful lyricism, some memorable hooks, and some bars. It’s the type of well-rounded and complete album that you can keep returning to and finding a new thing that will resonate with you each time through.

Because Alsace Carcione hasn’t delivered an album in some time, there is a good chance that a lot of listeners will be coming to her music for the first time to check out Luto. The good news is that she delivered such a mature, thoughtful, well-rounded, and emotionally charged album, she’s going to win over a lot of new fans.