Seishin Takeno's "Echoes," a sonic postcard from Kanagawa. Nine instrumental pieces, I've been told. Not nine songs, mind you – more like nine shaded windows into a particular kind of quiet. This isn't music that yells; it leans in, like a friend confiding a secret you half-hear on a summer porch. Immediately, you're not so much listening as remembering. Or maybe anticipating. It feels...

Aubryanna's vivacious personality and high-energy vocals are likely to make her latest single, "CoverGirl," a hit. The message that the tune conveys is one of empowerment; it dares to be honest and confident in the face of the pretense of perfection. The way Aubryanna sings about the human condition—the flaws and hardships we all endure, but also the triumphs of perseverance and acceptance of ourselves—has a...