It is clear that Gal Musette poured her entire essence into this song and sang from the very depths of her existence when she performed it. The American singer's follow-up single to the smash hit "Into the Blue" is now available digitally under the title "Pendulum," and it was released only recently off her 11-track album. The song examines a broad spectrum of human feelings and...

Ava Valianti represents something increasingly rare in contemporary music: genuine precocity without artifice. This Massachusetts artist, who is only fifteen years old, handles general themes with a level of emotional depth that is shocking. She shows that youth can bring out the best in complicated human experiences, rather than hiding them. "Distant," her sixth single, functions as a sonic archaeology of friendship's dissolution. The track excavates layers...