Cat Mayel's "FREE" arrived, not on a silver platter, but more like a rogue pigeon delivering a very important message – a crumpled napkin with profound scribbles. This Nigerian producer, composer, arranger, and all-around sonic sorceress has served up a single dose of alternative neo-soul that feels… well, free. As free as a shopping cart with a wonky wheel, anyway. It goes where it...

Canadian songwriter Mogipbob charts an unusually wide emotional map across his sprawling new album, "Anything but Me". Hailing from Hythe in northern Alberta, he writes with the soil-dusted candor of rural life, yet refuses to be pinned down by expected acoustic tropes. What could easily become an overwhelming patchwork of retro-soul, country twang, and comedic storytelling ends up held together by a singular, curious...