Janet Devlin’s new single, “Houston,” arrives as a gleeful contradiction, a two-stepping Americana anthem for the sovereign state of one. It has all the upbeat, country-rock fixings for a roadside sing-along, yet its heart is miles away, floating in a self-imposed, wonderfully stubborn vacuum. The track opens, and you’re ready for a communal good time; instead, you find yourself at a party where the...

If you want to experience the raw depths of human feeling, listen to "Thief" by Emily Nicole Green. This is the song for anyone who has experienced the sting of rejection, the difficulty of reconciling life's contradictory realities, or the emptiness of longing for someone who is no longer in one's life. Emily, a bright light in the midst of New York City's hustle and bustle,...