Some songs demand your attention from the very first note, and “All I Need Is Love” by Alan Murin is really all you need.  There's something about the dramatic beauty and the atmosphere of love that is woven into every lyric and melody, creating a record that feels both expansive and intensely personal. At its heart, the song is about connection. Not just romantic love, but...

Sam Ostler’s new single, “Lights,” then. It unfolds less like a sudden, intrusive glare and more like the slow, determined burn of a really good stage light finally finding its mark after a prolonged blackout. It’s pop, yes, vibrant and undeniably contemporary as advertised – clean lines, clear intentions. Yet, there’s a certain satisfying heft beneath the melodic uplift, a feeling that these notes...