Alli Brown's "Undeniable"… Hmm, where to even begin with this kaleidoscope of sound from Salt Lake City? It's like someone took the earnestness of a diary entry, crumpled it up, threw it at a dartboard of genres – pop, folk, country, rock – and then decided to set the whole thing to music. Did the dartboard land on "genius" or "glorious mess"? I'm still...

Musicians who can create magic by drawing into their origins have a certain captivating and true quality about them. Sista Mika, whose given name is Sophia Michalakoudis, is a living monument to the genuineness of that culture. Sista Mika was born in Brussels with a Greek background. She grew up to the rhythmic rhythms of rebetiko, Greece's response to blues and reggae, a lyrical story of...