Edinburgh songwriter James King delivers a haunting solo debut "Firefly" that transforms trauma into raw, cathartic art It is very pleasant to hear an artist ready to bleed onto the recording in this day and age of over-production and automated music. This is exactly what James King's first solo record, "Firefly," does: it lets fans into the soul of an artist who is not afraid to...

Listening to Arnold J.’s new single, "Muddy Waters," isn't quite like anything else swirling around right now. It arrives with the gentle insistence of incoming tide, pulling you into its specific gravity. Arnold J., Ghanaian-born and now Canada-based, weaves a sound tagged as alt-country and folk, but those labels feel thin, like trying to contain smoke. There’s earthiness, sure, but his soulful vocal lines...