Authenticity in music is a rare currency. In a time of polished productions and carefully constructed personas, an album like Lisa Jo's "Hood Rats" feels like a jolt of unfiltered reality. It is a record born not in a boardroom, but in the crucible of personal tragedy and immense resilience. The result is a collection of songs that are as raw and uncompromising as the life...

You may be the best couple in the world one minute and then be complete strangers the next. That is the rapid transformation in many partnerships today. Abby Carroll, in a song titled "Lovers To Strangers," appears saddened over the entire situation, as evidenced by the tone of her voice. The poetic tone of this piece of songwriting is touching and the music compliments the message...