Because of the deft manner in which she combines the styles of country music, pop music, folk music, and the music of her Brazilian ancestors, Anna Lopes stands out as a bright light in the huge musical tapestry of linked genres and worldwide influences that characterises the music business. At the age of 19, she uprooted her life and travelled to the United States to...

Mike Stewart Theory’s new single, “It Reaches Us,” feels less like a piece of music and more like a strange meteorological event happening inside your head. You’re immediately dropped into a groove that has the smooth, shoulder-rolling confidence of 80s soul, but something is off in the atmosphere. The air is thick with a psychedelic haze, a sense of temporal displacement that is both...